Is He Dead? by Mark Twain
A three-act play by Mark Twain, one of America's most important and well-loved writers. It intermingles elements of burlesque, farce, and social satire with a wry look at the world market in art. It centers on a group of poor artists in Barbizon, France, who stage the death of a friend to drive up the price of his paintings.
"This master of the novel proves also to be a master at play constructionIs He Dead? has all the craftsmanship of a far more seasoned playwright's efforts, and the targets Twain establishes - mendacity and greed - are the twin evils he exposed throughout his distinguished career." - Tony Lewis, Providence Journal-Bulletin "Worthy of Twain's legacy as America's greatest humorist." - Ledger "Sparked by enough over-the-top humor, it is laugh-aloud funny to read." - Booklist "This is another gold nugget in the treasure house of Mark Twain. That he could have spun out such a rollicking satire on the hypocrisy of the art world, delivered in the spirit of 'Charley's Aunt,' while his own spirit battled the ghosts of personal loss, is another beacon to the wild and surprising genius of Mark Twain. Shelley Fisher Fishkin has done it again, giving us the fruits of eye-opening, double-fathom research, pursuing nearly virgin byways of Mark Twain's literary and social life and showing us how that colorful world affected the temper of his mind. I learned things I never knew while racing through this book." - Hal Holbrook"
Shelley Fisher Fishkin is Professor of American Studies and English at the University of Texas, Austin. Starting in September, 2003, she will be Professor of English and Director of American Studies at Stanford University. She is the author of Lighting Out for the Territory: Reflections on Mark Twain and American Culture (1997); Was Huck Black? Mark Twain and African-American Voices (1993), selected as an Outstanding Academic Book by Choice; and From Fact to Fiction: Journalism and Imaginative Writing in America (2000), winner of a Frank Luther Mott/Kappa Tau Alpha Award for outstanding research in journalism history. She is also the editor of the 29-volume Oxford Mark Twain and the Oxford Historical Guide to Mark Twain.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780520248335 |
| ISBN 10 | 0520248333 |
| Title | Is He Dead? |
| Author | Mark Twain |
| Series | Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered Rediscovered And Celebrated Writings Of Mark Twain |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | University of California Press |
| Year published | 2006-06-14 |
| Number of pages | 248 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |