Friday, April 26, 2013

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

I have seen so many different film adaptations of this story that I felt pretty confident I already knew how the book was going to go.  It was still something of a revelation, though, as there are many details that I hadn't ever seen before.  And the original ending of the book isn't usually copied in the more modern versions.  Twain focuses a great deal on the nature of Hank, the main character who is an engineer from New England.  He is transported back in time where he uses his knowledge of modern technology to portray himself as a magician.  He is eventually prosecuted by the Catholic church because of his power.  Merlin casts a spell on him that makes him sleep for a millenia and return to his own time.

It certainly isn't Twain's best book, but it is interesting.  It has Twain's signature satirical humor in larger quanities than Tom Sawyer or Huck Finn, but I didn't find the story nearly as entertaining as those other novels.  It is worth the time if you're a fast reader and can get through it quickly, but if you're a slower reader who will have to labor through it, it probably isn't worth it.

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