LITR408 - Mark Twain: The Voice of American Literature

Course Code: LITR408 Course ID: 5290 Credit Hours: 3 Level: Undergraduate

Mark Twain’s works are filled with danger and adventure, rollicking humor, biting satire, and memorable characters that wrestle with universal and timeless issues. In his writing, he asks us to consider what it means to be human, and in Mark Twain’s characters, we often see and hear parts of ourselves which helps us hone in on our own humanity. Through social satire and a wicked irreverent sense of humor, his works became timeless; while he lived, he was known as “the funniest man on earth.” But Mark Twain also used his distinct voice to expose the problems and issues that faced society often by highlighting the quirks of its members. LITR408 examines Twain’s literary genius and the man behind the genius who unflinchingly proclaimed, “I am not an American. I am the American.” (Pre-requisite: ENGL210 for English majors, or ENGL101 or ENGL110 for non-English majors)