第1章(1/7)
byMarkTwainMARKTWAIN’S
[Date，1601]
ConversationAsitwasbytheSocialFiresideintheTimeoftheTudorsINTRODUCTION
\"Bornirreverent，\"scrawledMarkTwainonascratchpad，\"——likeallotherpeopleIhaveeverknownorheardof——Iamhopingtoremainsowhilethereareanyreverentirreverenceslefttomakefunof。\"
——[HolographmanuscriptofSamuelL。Clemens，inthecollectionoftheF。J。Meine]
MarkTwainwasjustasirreverentashedaredbe，and1601revealshisrichestexpressionofsovereigncontemptforoverstuffedlanguage，genteelliterature，andconventionalidiocies。Later，whenamagazineeditorapostrophized，\"OthatwehadaRabelais！\"Markimpishlyandanonymously——submitted1601；andthatsameeditor，apraiserofRabelais，scathinglyabuseditandthesender。Inthisepisode，asinmanyothers，MarkTwain，the\"badboy\"ofAmericanliterature，revealedhishugedelightinblastingtheshamsofcontemporaryhypocrisy。Too，therewasalwaysthespiritofTomSawyerdeviltryinMark’smake—upthatpromptedhim，ashehimselfboasted，toseehowmuchholyindignationhecouldstirupintheworld。
WHOWROTE1601？
Thecorrectandcompletetitleof1601，asfirstissued，was：[Date，1601。]’Conversation，asitwasbytheSocialFireside，intheTimeoftheTudors。’Formanyyearsafteritsanonymousfirstissuein1880，itsauthorshipwasvariouslyconjecturedandwidelydisputed。InBoston，WilliamT。Ball，oneoftheleadingtheatricalcriticsduringthelatego’s，assertedthatitwasoriginallywrittenbyanEnglishactor（namenotdivulged）whogaveittohim。Ball’soriginal，itwassaid，lookedlikeanewspaperstripinthewayitwasprinted，andmayindeedhavebeenaproofpulledinsomenewspaperoffice。InSt。Louis，WilliamMarionReedy，editoroftheSt。LouisMirror，hadseenthisfamoustourdeforcecirculatedintheearly80’singalley—proofform；hefirstlearnedfromEugeneFieldthatitwasfromthepenofMarkTwain。
\"Manypeople，\"saidReedy，\"thoughtthethingwasdonebyFieldandattributed，asajoke，toMarkTwain。Fieldhadaperfectgeniusforthatsortofthing，asmanyextantspecimensattest，andforthatsortofpracticaljoke；buttomythinkingthehumorofthepieceistoomellow——nothardandbrightandbitter——tobeEugeneField’s。\"Reedy’sopinionhitsoffthefundamentaldifferencebetweenthesetwogreathumorists；
onehalfsuspectsthatReedywasthinkingofField’sFrenchCrisis。
ButTwainfirstclaimedhisbantlingfromthefogofanonymityin1906，inaletteraddressedtoMr。CharlesOrr，librarianofCaseLibrary，Cleveland。SaidClemens，inthecourseofhisletter，datedJuly30，1906，fromDublin，NewHampshire：
\"Thetitleofthepieceis1601。ThepieceisasupposititiousconversationwhichtakesplaceinQueenElizabeth’sclosetinthatyear，betweentheQueen，BenJonson，Beaumont，SirWalterRaleigh，theDuchessofBilgewater，andoneortwoothers，andisnot，asJohnHaymistakenlysupposes，aseriousefforttobringbackourliteratureandphilosophytothesoberandchasteElizabeth’stime；ifthereisadecentwordfindableinit，itisbecauseIoverlookedit。Ihastentoassureyouthatitisnotprintedinmypublishedwritings。\"
TWITTINGTHEREV。JOSEPHTWICHELL
Thecircumstancesofhow1601cametobewrittenhavesincebeenofficiallyrevealedbyAlbertBigelowPainein’MarkTwain，ABibliography’（1912），andinthepublicationofMarkTwain’sNotebook（1935）。
1601waswrittenduringthesummerof1876whentheClemensfamilyhadretreatedtoQuarryFarminElmiraCounty，NewYork。HereMrs。Clemensenjoyedrelieffromsocialobligations，thechildrenrompedoverthecountryside，andMarkretiredtohisoctagonalstudy，which，perchedhighonthehill，lookedoutuponthevalleybelow。Itwasinthefamoussummerof1876，too，thatMarkwasputtingthefinishingtouchestoTomSawyer。Beforethecloseofthesameyearhehadalreadybegunworkon’TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn’，publishedin1885。Itisinterestingtonotetheuseofthetitle，the\"DukeofBilgewater，\"inHuckFinnwhenthe\"DuchessofBilgewater\"hadalreadymadeherappearancein1601。Sandwichedbetweenhistwogreatmasterpieces，TomSawyerandHuckFinn，thewritingof1601wasindeedastrangeinterlude。
DuringthisprolificperiodMarkwrotemanyminoritems，mostofthemrejectedbyHowells，andreadextensivelyinoneofhisfavoritebooks，Pepys’Diary。LikemanyanotherwriterMarkwascaptivatedbyPepys’
styleandspirit，and\"hedetermined，\"saysAlbertBigelowPaineinhis’MarkTwain，ABiography’，\"totryhishandonanimaginaryrecordofconversationandcourtmannersofabygoneday，writteninthephraseoftheperiod。Theresultwas’FiresideConversationintheTimeofQueenElizabeth’，orashelatercalledit，’1601’。The’conversation’
recordedbyasupposedPepysofthatperiod，waswrittenwithalltheoutspokencoarsenessandnakednessofthatrankday，whenfiresidesociabilitieswerelimitedonlytotheloosenedfancy，vocabulary，andphysicalperformance，andnotbyanyboundsofconvention。\"
\"Itwaswrittenasaletter，\"continuesPaine，\"tothatrobustdivine，Rev。JosephTwichell，\"who，unlikeHowells，hadnoscruplesaboutMark’s’Elizabethanbreadthofparlance。’\"
TheRev。JosephTwichell，Mark’smostintimatefriendforoverfortyyears，waspastoroftheAsylumHillCongregationalChurchofHartford，whichMarkfacetiouslycalledthe\"ChurchoftheHolySpeculators，\"
becauseofitswealthyparishioners。HereMarkhadfirstmet\"Joe\"atasocial，andtheirmeetingripenedintoaglorious，lifelongfriendship。
[Date，1601]
ConversationAsitwasbytheSocialFiresideintheTimeoftheTudorsINTRODUCTION
\"Bornirreverent，\"scrawledMarkTwainonascratchpad，\"——likeallotherpeopleIhaveeverknownorheardof——Iamhopingtoremainsowhilethereareanyreverentirreverenceslefttomakefunof。\"
——[HolographmanuscriptofSamuelL。Clemens，inthecollectionoftheF。J。Meine]
MarkTwainwasjustasirreverentashedaredbe，and1601revealshisrichestexpressionofsovereigncontemptforoverstuffedlanguage，genteelliterature，andconventionalidiocies。Later，whenamagazineeditorapostrophized，\"OthatwehadaRabelais！\"Markimpishlyandanonymously——submitted1601；andthatsameeditor，apraiserofRabelais，scathinglyabuseditandthesender。Inthisepisode，asinmanyothers，MarkTwain，the\"badboy\"ofAmericanliterature，revealedhishugedelightinblastingtheshamsofcontemporaryhypocrisy。Too，therewasalwaysthespiritofTomSawyerdeviltryinMark’smake—upthatpromptedhim，ashehimselfboasted，toseehowmuchholyindignationhecouldstirupintheworld。
WHOWROTE1601？
Thecorrectandcompletetitleof1601，asfirstissued，was：[Date，1601。]’Conversation，asitwasbytheSocialFireside，intheTimeoftheTudors。’Formanyyearsafteritsanonymousfirstissuein1880，itsauthorshipwasvariouslyconjecturedandwidelydisputed。InBoston，WilliamT。Ball，oneoftheleadingtheatricalcriticsduringthelatego’s，assertedthatitwasoriginallywrittenbyanEnglishactor（namenotdivulged）whogaveittohim。Ball’soriginal，itwassaid，lookedlikeanewspaperstripinthewayitwasprinted，andmayindeedhavebeenaproofpulledinsomenewspaperoffice。InSt。Louis，WilliamMarionReedy，editoroftheSt。LouisMirror，hadseenthisfamoustourdeforcecirculatedintheearly80’singalley—proofform；hefirstlearnedfromEugeneFieldthatitwasfromthepenofMarkTwain。
\"Manypeople，\"saidReedy，\"thoughtthethingwasdonebyFieldandattributed，asajoke，toMarkTwain。Fieldhadaperfectgeniusforthatsortofthing，asmanyextantspecimensattest，andforthatsortofpracticaljoke；buttomythinkingthehumorofthepieceistoomellow——nothardandbrightandbitter——tobeEugeneField’s。\"Reedy’sopinionhitsoffthefundamentaldifferencebetweenthesetwogreathumorists；
onehalfsuspectsthatReedywasthinkingofField’sFrenchCrisis。
ButTwainfirstclaimedhisbantlingfromthefogofanonymityin1906，inaletteraddressedtoMr。CharlesOrr，librarianofCaseLibrary，Cleveland。SaidClemens，inthecourseofhisletter，datedJuly30，1906，fromDublin，NewHampshire：
\"Thetitleofthepieceis1601。ThepieceisasupposititiousconversationwhichtakesplaceinQueenElizabeth’sclosetinthatyear，betweentheQueen，BenJonson，Beaumont，SirWalterRaleigh，theDuchessofBilgewater，andoneortwoothers，andisnot，asJohnHaymistakenlysupposes，aseriousefforttobringbackourliteratureandphilosophytothesoberandchasteElizabeth’stime；ifthereisadecentwordfindableinit，itisbecauseIoverlookedit。Ihastentoassureyouthatitisnotprintedinmypublishedwritings。\"
TWITTINGTHEREV。JOSEPHTWICHELL
Thecircumstancesofhow1601cametobewrittenhavesincebeenofficiallyrevealedbyAlbertBigelowPainein’MarkTwain，ABibliography’（1912），andinthepublicationofMarkTwain’sNotebook（1935）。
1601waswrittenduringthesummerof1876whentheClemensfamilyhadretreatedtoQuarryFarminElmiraCounty，NewYork。HereMrs。Clemensenjoyedrelieffromsocialobligations，thechildrenrompedoverthecountryside，andMarkretiredtohisoctagonalstudy，which，perchedhighonthehill，lookedoutuponthevalleybelow。Itwasinthefamoussummerof1876，too，thatMarkwasputtingthefinishingtouchestoTomSawyer。Beforethecloseofthesameyearhehadalreadybegunworkon’TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn’，publishedin1885。Itisinterestingtonotetheuseofthetitle，the\"DukeofBilgewater，\"inHuckFinnwhenthe\"DuchessofBilgewater\"hadalreadymadeherappearancein1601。Sandwichedbetweenhistwogreatmasterpieces，TomSawyerandHuckFinn，thewritingof1601wasindeedastrangeinterlude。
DuringthisprolificperiodMarkwrotemanyminoritems，mostofthemrejectedbyHowells，andreadextensivelyinoneofhisfavoritebooks，Pepys’Diary。LikemanyanotherwriterMarkwascaptivatedbyPepys’
styleandspirit，and\"hedetermined，\"saysAlbertBigelowPaineinhis’MarkTwain，ABiography’，\"totryhishandonanimaginaryrecordofconversationandcourtmannersofabygoneday，writteninthephraseoftheperiod。Theresultwas’FiresideConversationintheTimeofQueenElizabeth’，orashelatercalledit，’1601’。The’conversation’
recordedbyasupposedPepysofthatperiod，waswrittenwithalltheoutspokencoarsenessandnakednessofthatrankday，whenfiresidesociabilitieswerelimitedonlytotheloosenedfancy，vocabulary，andphysicalperformance，andnotbyanyboundsofconvention。\"
\"Itwaswrittenasaletter，\"continuesPaine，\"tothatrobustdivine，Rev。JosephTwichell，\"who，unlikeHowells，hadnoscruplesaboutMark’s’Elizabethanbreadthofparlance。’\"
TheRev。JosephTwichell，Mark’smostintimatefriendforoverfortyyears，waspastoroftheAsylumHillCongregationalChurchofHartford，whichMarkfacetiouslycalledthe\"ChurchoftheHolySpeculators，\"
becauseofitswealthyparishioners。HereMarkhadfirstmet\"Joe\"atasocial，andtheirmeetingripenedintoaglorious，lifelongfriendship。