The Great American Novelist(b)|美国文豪马克‧吐温

Although it was not Mark Twain's first attempt at writing or his first publication, The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, a humorous tale he wrote while traveling, brought him national attention. Thereafter, Twain began writing travelogues as he traveled from place to place. People liked his writings so much that they would give him funds to visit places and write about them. A newspaper paid Twain to travel through Europe and the Holy Land, which later became the book The Innocents Abroad in 1869.

These first writings were humorous, but Twain would later deal with the much darker sides of life as well. One example of this change in tone is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain's masterpiece that delights readers with humor while also criticizing the social norms of the time. The star of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was first introduced in The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as a friend of the main character. It is widely considered the Great American novel and had a much more serious tone than his previous works because he called into question slavery in the southern US. Besides his novels, Twain also wrote many articles and gave speeches and lectures.

There is actually a vast amount of material by Twain since he used several different pen names and wrote for obscure publications as well as famous ones. Mark Twain left his mark on the world because of what he wrote, what he believed in, and how he made others think. Like many greats of history, the life of Mark Twain was as fantastic as the works he is known for.

1.  Who was Samuel Clemens?

(A) The first journalist in America.

(B) A man who wrote many novels and articles under different names.

(C) A famous frog researcher.

(D) One of Mark Twain's most famous characters.

2.  According to the article, what happened first?

(A) Twain got married.

(B) Twain predicted he would die.

(C) Twain wrote The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

(D) Twain got published in his brother's newspaper.

3.  How did Twain change his writing style?

(A) He decided to write science fiction novels instead of humorous ones.

(B) He traveled around the world and wrote in different languages.

(C) He took on social issues in his later years.

(D) He made his books funnier than his articles.

4.  Which of the following is NOT true?

(A) All of Twain's novels are light-hearted.

(B) Twain was published under many different names.

(C) Twain's birth coincided with the passing of Halley's Comet.

(D) Twain is thought of as one of the greatest American writers.

　尽管《卡拉维拉斯郡著名的跳蛙》不是马克‧吐温首次尝试的写作，也不是他第 1 次的出版作品，但他却因为这本旅行时写的幽默故事而首度得到全国的瞩目。自此以后，马克‧吐温就开始一边旅行一边写游记。人们非常喜欢他的文章，还因此提供他经费到各地旅游写下游记。一家报社还付钱给马克‧吐温到欧洲各地和『圣地』（也就是日后建国的以色列）游历，这些经历让他于 1869 年出版了《老戆出洋记》。

　　这些早期的作品都是属于幽默的风格，不过，马克‧吐温后来也开始触及人生较为黑暗的一面。这种笔触改变的一个例子是《顽童流浪记》，这部是马克‧吐温的杰作，它的风格以幽默取悦读者之外，也同时批评当时的社会规范。《顽童流浪记》的主角哈克‧芬恩在《汤姆历险记》里首次登场，是该故事主人翁的朋友。《顽童流浪记》被广泛认为是伟大的美国小说作品，而其语调也比马克‧吐温之前的作品都来得严肃许多，这是因为他对美国南方的奴隶制度提出质疑。除了小说之外，马克‧吐温也写了许多文章、发表演讲，以及授课。

　　其实马克‧吐温写过的东西很多，因为他有好几个笔名，而且投稿的刊物有没没无闻的，也有很知名的。马克‧吐温的创作、信仰，和激发世人思考的方式使他万古流芳。就和许多历史上的伟人一样，马克‧吐温的一生和他知名的作品一样精彩。

答案：1. (B)2. (D)3. (C)4. (A)

全国汤姆日（National Tom Sawyer Day）是从 1956年开始，每年在美国密苏里州马克‧吐温的故乡汉尼拔市所举行的节日。按照当地传统，全国汤姆日会与美国每年 7 月 4 日的国庆同期举行。该节日源自马克‧吐温最受欢迎的创作《汤姆历险记》。每年会举办大型花车游行、草根艺术品跳蚤市场和儿童天地嘉年华，吸引了不少本地和来自全球各地的汤姆迷（数据源：维基百科）。