Roughing it follows the travels of young mark twain through the wild west during the years 18611867. Mark twain meets the mormons the salamander society. Twain jokingly says that the mormon women are extremely ugly, so the men are doing the world a. It was written in 187071 and published in 1872, as a prequel to his first travel book the innocents abroad 1869. Twains sarcastic recounting of his two days in salt lake ended up as several chapters in the diary of his journey to nevada and his life in the american westa book originally titled the innocents at home, and eventually renamed roughing it. If any of my mormon readers take offense, i would note that twain was a religious sceptic and said various uncomplimentary things about other denominations, including the catholic church to which i belong.
Roughing it illustrates many of twain s early adventures, including a visit in salt lake city with mormon leader brigham young, gold and silver prospecting, realestate speculation, and his beginnings as a writer. He didnt think much of its literary style, but he did find it useful as a cure for insomnia. Samuel langhorne clemens november 30, 1835 april 21, 1910, known by his pen name mark twain, was an american writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. Anyone today who reads his reflections on the mormons must keep in mind that his exposure to them. Read chapter xiii mormons and gentiles exhilarting drink of roughing it by mark twain.
From mark twains roughing it mountain meadows massacre. Mark twain thought the book of mormon was boring as heck. Lee adopted son of brigham, commanding them to raise all the forces they could. The drowsy mormon bible no xvii big money and big prices. Kate field, a record by lilian whiting little, brown, and co. Pioneer prophet, young is, in turns, ruthless, charming, petty and beneficent. The neighbors began to persecute, and apostasy commenced. He just happened to come of age during the tumult of the war between the states, a time when slavery was still the law of half of the land. He was lauded as the greatest humorist the united states has produced, and william faulkner called him the father of american literature. Mark twain was roughing it when he met brigham young. The book of mormon is filled with repetition this influenced mark twain to describe the book of mormon as slow, sleepy, and insipid.
Page 147 we plodded on, two or three hours longer, and at last the lake burst upon us a noble sheet of blue water lifted six thousand three hundred feet above the level of the sea, and walled in by a rim of snowclad mountain peaks that towered aloft full three thousand feet higher still. Twain s sarcastic recounting of his two days in salt lake ended up as several chapters in the diary of his journey to nevada and his life in the american westa book originally titled the innocents at home, and eventually renamed roughing it. Lds living does point this out, quoting twain in saying all men have heard of the mormon bible, but few have taken the trouble to read it. The mybookofmormon podcast may help you get through it. Roughing it chapter xii a mormon emigrant train the.
The quote seems to be extracted from mark twains book roughing it. Yes, take it all around, there is quite a good deal of information in the book. All men have heard of the mormon bible, but few except the elect have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. All quotations are from the book titled roughing it written by samuel l.
Joseph smith, the finder of the book of mormon and. It is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy. Roughing it is a memoir covering a six year span of mark twains years as a young journalist and occasional miner. Mark twain meets the mormons copied from roughing it a personal narrative as he tried to figure out the mormons during his two day stop over in great salt lake city on his way to silver mines of nevada. For modernday adventurers exploring the roots of the old west.
Twains encounters with tarantulas and donkeys, vigilantes and volcanoes, even brigham young, the mormon leader, come to life with his inimitable mixture of reporting. Samuel clemens was no exception, and goes on for several chapters of his book, roughing it, describing his experiences in utah among the mormons. Nov 06, 20 the other notable works that have long been mark twain favorites are. After a brief stint as a confederate cavalry militiaman not included in the account, he joined his brother orion clemens, who had been appointed secretary of the nevada territory, on a stagecoach journey west.
In the beginning of chapter, after arriving in great salt lake city more commonly known today by its short form, salt lake city, or even just, salt lake, twain reports. The voice over comes from, a public domain recording. Roughing it is the hilarious record of those early years traveling from nevada to california to hawaii, as twain tried his luck at anything and everythingand usually failed. Roughing it is dedicated to twains mining companion calvin h. Jun 07, 2010 mark twain powned the book of mormon in chapter 16 of roughing it. And it was simple, unostentatious, and fitted like a. Mormons and gentilesexhilarating drink, and its effect on bemissalt lake citya great contrasta mormon vagranttalk with a sainta visit to the kinga happy simile we had a fine supper, of the freshest meats and fowls and vegetablesa great variety and as great abundance. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. You may copy it, give it away or reuse it under the terms of the project gutenberg license included with this ebook or online at. Many remarks of his about the book of mormon were false and it seems as though he was pretty niave about the book and what the mormon church is all about. We submit for your approval one of our favorite essays on that rather interesting take on christianity, the church of jesus christ of latterday saints, more popularly known as the mormons. It was a vast oval, and one would have to use up eighty or a hundred good miles in traveling around it.
The mormon bible is rather stupid and tiresome to read, but there is nothing vicious in its. Full text of roughing it, by mark twain internet archive. And however true that quip is which is very true, indeed twain sai. How can mark twain say that it is tiresome and stupid. A mormon emigrant trainthe heart of the rocky mountainspure saleratusa natural icehousean entire inhabitantin sight of eternal snowthe south passthe parting streamsan unreliable letter carriermeeting of old friendsa spoiled watermelon. Most any thing by mark twain is funny and well written, and roughing it is no exception. Our stay in salt lake city amounted to only two days, and therefore we had no time to make the customary inquisition into the workings of polygamy and get up the usual statistics and deductions. Mark twainauthor of popular classics like the adventures of tom sawyer and. He is fascinated by the idea of polygamy and is told a secondhand story of a mormon man and his large family with over 100 children. Nov 30, 2017 accordingly, roughing it, like much of twains humorous writing, features many tall tales. Lee adopted son of brigham, commanding them to raise all the forces they could muster and trust, follow.
Jul 25, 2006 from twains roughing itthe book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the old testament for a model. All men have heard of the mormon bible, but few, except the elect have seen it or at least taken the trouble to read it. Mormon history mark twain s perspectives on mormonism. If joseph smith composed this book, the act was a miracle keeping awake while he did it. Accordingly, roughing it, like much of twains humorous writing, features many tall tales. Mark twain powned the book of mormon in chapter 16 of roughing it. The project gutenberg ebook of roughing it, by mark twain samuel clemens this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever.
If any of my mormon readers take offense, i would note that twain was a religious sceptic and said various uncomplimentary things about other denominations, including the catholic church. Letters from earth, in which twain positions satan on earth from which he writes to god about things the humans are doing, and roughing it, another semiautobiographical book of travel. Read chapter xii a mormon emigrant train the heart of the rocky mountains of roughing it by mark twain. The most commonly recognized poetic style is parallelism.
Roughing it is a memoir covering a six year span of mark twain s years as a young journalist and occasional miner. Waites entertaining book, the mormon prophet, it transpired that a revelation from brigham young, as great grand archee of god, was despatched to president j. Mark twain on mormon women 1861 i am not given to exaggeration, and when i say a thing i mean it. What mark twain really thought about mormons lds living. We walked about the streets some, afterward, and glanced in at shops and stores. Literature network mark twain roughing it chapter xvi. Roughing it by mark twain meet your next favorite book. Did mark twain say about the book of mormon, it is such a pretentious affair and yet so slow, so sleepy, such an insipid mess of inspiration.
It is funny, insightful, and a firsthand account of the old west including the stage coach ride to get there, the mormons of utah, and the greater part of the book was about the silver strikes in and around nevada and california. Fox i do not remember how i came upon the alleged twoparagraph quote by mark twain. What mark twain had to say about utah and mormons when he. Jun 14, 2012 it is from mark twains book, roughing it and you can read it by clicking on the link above. How elvis, mark twain, lincoln, khrushchev and others reacted to copies of it. Roughing it chapter 14, pages 9798 our stay in salt lake city amounted to only two days, and therefore we had no time to make the customary inquisition into the workings of polygamy and get up the usual statistics and deductions preparatory to calling the attention of the nation at large once more to the matter. Travel via stagecoach through woods, plains, hills, and gorges, as twain spins yarn after yarn on the people he meets, and the towns they explore. Roughing it chapter xvi the mormon bible proofs of its.
Twains writings include some critcisms of the book of mormon, the lds churchs foundational scripture, and some unflattering descriptions of mormon women though some of his heightened depictions of early mormons might seem to convey particular animosity toward latterday saints, cracroft also. In the beginning of chapter, after arriving in great salt lake city more commonly known today by its short form, salt lake city, or. Mark twain s humorous account of his six years in nevada, san francisco, and the sandwich islands is a patchwork of personal anecdotes and tall tales, many of them told in the vigorous new vernacular of the west. Selling seventy five thousand copies within a year of its publication in 1872, roughing it was greeted as a work of wild, preposterous invention and sublime exaggeration whose satiric. Apr 18, 2015 twains sarcastic recounting of his two days in salt lake ended up as several chapters in the diary of his journey to nevada and his life in the american westa book originally titled the innocents at home, and eventually renamed roughing it.
Finally he instituted his church in ohio and brigham young joined it. Roughing it, complete, by mark twain the project gutenberg ebook of roughing it, by mark twain samuel clemens this ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. Mark twain chronology in context 1830 mormon church organized by joseph smith in fayette new york. His novels include the adventures of tom sawyer 1876 and its sequel, the. Anyone today who reads his reflections on the mormons must keep in mind that his exposure to them was limited to only two days. On mark twains critique of the book of mormon owlcation.
It is from mark twains book, roughing it and you can read it by clicking on the link above. Twains writings include some critcisms of the book of mormon, the lds churchs foundational scripture, and some unflattering descriptions of mormon women. Jan 05, 20 though covered in humor, it s clear the encounter still stung 10 years later when twain got around to writing about it in roughing it. The project gutenberg ebook of roughing it, by mark twain samuel clemens this. Mormon history mark twains perspectives on mormonism.
Part fact, part fiction, mark twains roughing it takes readers on a highspirited journey from missouri to nevada, california to hawaii. It might also be classified as his coming of age story. Twain jokingly says that the mormon women are extremely ugly, so the men are doing the world a service by marry them. Host david michael gives his first impressions while reading smiths sleepy and racist tome. As for the book of mormons religious significance, mark twain put it as viciously as anyone could. In john turners excellent new biography, brigham young. Jul 12, 2017 as for the book of mormons religious significance, mark twain put it as viciously as anyone could. Twain encounters a number of mormon families during his journey. This book tells of twains adventures prior to his pleasure cruise related in innocents abroad. Joseph smith, the finder of the book of mormon and founder of the religion, was driven from state to state with his mysterious copperplates and the miraculous stones he read their inscriptions with. Roughing it is a book of semiautobiographical travel literature by mark twain.
Mark twain quotes quotable quote all men have heard of the mormon bible, but few except the elect have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. Roughing it is a book of semi autobiographical travel literature by mark twain. Mark twains 1872 roughing it recounts his 186167 journey by. It was always too figurative for the author of this book. The mormon bibleproofs of its divinityplagiarism of its authorsstory of nephiwonderful battlekilkenny cats outdone all men have heard of the mormon bible, but few except the elect have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. Did mark twain say about the book of mormon, it is such a. Roughing it is dedicated to twain s mining companion calvin h. Mark twains humorous account of his six years in nevada, san francisco, and the sandwich islands is a patchwork of personal anecdotes and tall tales, many of them told in the vigorous new vernacular of the west. Though covered in humor, its clear the encounter still stung 10 years later when twain got around to writing about it in roughing it. If he had left that out, his bible would have been only a pamphlet.
In the first book of nephi is a plagiarism of the old testament, which gives an account of the exodus from jerusalem of the children of lehi. In the summer of 1861, he accompanied his brother orion on the overland stage coach out west who had just been appointed the secretary of the nevada territory. Originally published over 100 years ago, roughing it was mark twains second major work. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair, and yet so slow, so sleepy. The other notable works that have long been mark twain favorites are. Chapter sixteen of mark twains roughing it begins, all men have heard of the mormon bible, but few except the elect have seen it, or, at least, taken the trouble to read it. The book is a curiosity to me, it is such a pretentious affair. A semiautobiographical travel account written by american humorist mark twain. The book of mormon is the number two best seller in the world behind the bible. Dec 28, 2019 mark twain roughing it quote about joseph smith. All men have heard of the mormon bible, but few except the elect have seen it.
Mormonism is only about forty years old, but its career has been full of stir and adventure from the beginning, and is likely to remain so to the end. From twains roughing itthe book seems to be merely a prosy detail of imaginary history, with the old testament for a model. We had a fine supper, of the freshest meats and fowls and vegetablesa great variety and as great abundance. The mormon bibleproofs of its divinityplagiarism of its authorsstory of. This book is merely a personal narrative, and not a pretentious history or a philosophical dissertation. Mosiah, zeniff, alma, helaman, ether, moroni, two books of mormon, and three of nephi. The father of american literature, of course, would. During a trip out west, mark twain took along the book of mormon to while away the travel hours. Wherefore it is an abridgment of the record of the people of nephi, and also of the lamanites. Read chapter xvi the mormon bible proofs of its divinity of roughing it by mark twain. Mark twain roughing it quote about joseph smith youtube. Higbie, later a civil engineer who died in 1914 the book follows the travels of young mark twain through the wild west during the.
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