ENDURING LITERATURE ILLUMINATED BY PRACTICAL SCHOLARSHIP A nineteenth-century American travels back in time to sixth-century England in this darkly...
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Jan 29, 2011
Kara
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Most people think they know this story - but they don't - they just know the fish-out-of-water story that is just the surface of this book; this is really a story of about the biggest problems Mark Twain observed in his time period, including slavery, abuses of political power, unchecked factory growth, child labor, and frightening new war technology. The final battle scene eerily predicts World War One. While the book has many funny moments, it's really a somber, reflective, sad story.
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Dec 17, 2009
Sarah
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A book about going to a backwards place, dominated by an ignorant faith and blowing a lot of stuff up in the name of freedom. If you can be non-cynical enough, you might be able to find sympathy for our American freedom-fighters in Iraq by reading of Hank's well-meaning attempt at a socio-political overhaul. I won't tell you how it ends, but your world won't be too rocked. This book is really amazing to read from our contemporary perspective. Here's a cusp-industrial mind writing on the dark age
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(7 people liked it)
Mar 31, 2009
Franklin
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I Read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain to my kids (7-9). Having never read this classic before I expected it to be a little bit more 'kid oriented' than it was. There were many times when my 7 and 9 year-olds struggled to make it through the book.
Yankee had so many facets to it that it is hard to pin down. At times it is laugh out loud funny, or highly ironic and other times the humor is quite dark. At still other times it is down right preachy, especially aga More...
Yankee had so many facets to it that it is hard to pin down. At times it is laugh out loud funny, or highly ironic and other times the humor is quite dark. At still other times it is down right preachy, especially aga More...
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(6 people liked it)
Feb 06, 2008
Casey
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I head seen and heard little tidbits about 'Connecticut Yankee...' over the past several years. It is one of Twain's most well known novels, after Tom Sawyer/Huck Finn, but I've mostly caught references to the story in parodies featuring Bugs Bunny or Martin Lawrence. That is to say that the time travel to the Middle Ages gag has been overutilized of late. However, the book is a commentary on the ways of modern life, as much as it is a damning critique of powerlessness of 6th Century peasants
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Jan 24, 2008
Julie
rated it: 
I was too young when I read this...5th grade. Did not get the nuances as much as I might have if I read it later. I was forced to read this and it still makes me cringe when I hear the title.
Get over it, right? Someday maybe.
Get over it, right? Someday maybe.
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Nov 16, 2008
Ken
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Although a bit of a mish-mash of ideas and stories and not particularly coherent in its structure, A Connecticut Yankee is surely an intriguing social commentary about the limits of progress and a strong condemnation of human nature. Twain uses his fantastical tale of a 19th century New Englander become right-hand man to King Arthur in the 6th century to illustrate his cynacism at the idea of true human progress and civilization, showing it to be ultimately self-defeating and as cruel as the mi
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(1 person liked it)
Sep 20, 2008
Justin
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Having read and enjoyed several of Jack London’s books, it dawned on me to try out some Mark Twain. It was with a certain amount of excitement that I approached A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur’s Court but, ultimately, found myself disappointed.
The concept of the book, that a resident of 1860’s America suddenly finds himself transported to sixth century England in the court of King Arthur, is pretty good. However, this book is just so long. The writing is not as sharp as in oth More...
The concept of the book, that a resident of 1860’s America suddenly finds himself transported to sixth century England in the court of King Arthur, is pretty good. However, this book is just so long. The writing is not as sharp as in oth More...
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Oct 05, 2008
Erik
rated it:
One of the many good things about lying in order to avoid junior high school is that it allows time to read good books. Having done the old "thermometer to the light bulb" trick, I spent a very productive couple of days home in bed reading, among other things, Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court.
My parents weren't entirely stupid. My frequent illnesses had to be demonstrated by coughing, dripping, abnormal temperature and the like. Since they were stil More...
My parents weren't entirely stupid. My frequent illnesses had to be demonstrated by coughing, dripping, abnormal temperature and the like. Since they were stil More...
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(2 people liked it)
Jan 13, 2012
Jim
rated it:
I don't know why this book doesn't rank higher among the classics & isn't discussed more. Twain manages to highlight more of our human & modern society's ills & graces than any other book I've read. This is not just a man out of his time, but a journey of discovering just how large, fast changes, seemingly made for the best, can actually be horrifying with unforeseen consequences. (Sound familiar? Haven't we all been talking about how technology & the Internet has changed our lives so much re
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(15 people liked it)
Sep 24, 2011
Natalie
rated it: 
Hank, a Yankee from Early America, has found himself in the sixth century. He's now a pupil of King Arthur, a member for Britain, and he's challenged that time periods most magical and dangerous man--Merlin. However, with his superior knowledge and the sciences from his world he is easily able to out stage and out smart not only Merlin, and all other challengers, but the Kingdom itself. He starts small, wanting to add soap and bathing into the equation for cleaner and more sanitary persons. H
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(1 person liked it)
May 31, 2011
Sarah
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Like many satires I have read, this book started out as hilariously funny to me. I was just as enamoured with the idea of a “modern” (the term now relative) man entering the 6th century and using his knowledge to become one of its most famous and revered citizens. But also the case with many satirical works I read, after a certain point – I got bored. Hank’s adventures became predictable and almost disgusting and embarrassing to me. His pride, while I think not to be considered horribly overwhel
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Nov 21, 2010
Discordian
rated it:
The king was in a flaming fury, and launched out his challenge and epithets with a most royal vigor. The knights were some little distance by now. They halted, greatly surprised, and turned in their saddles and looked back, as if wondering if it might be worth while to bother with such scum as we. Then they wheeled and started for us. Not a moment must be lost. I started for THEM. I passed them at a rattling gait, and as I went by I flung out a hair-lifting soul scorching thirteen-jointed insult
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Aug 03, 2010
Ruth
rated it:
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is a train wreck of a novel that, if written today, would never have seen print. While notable for its innovation during its time and its hundred thousand imitators, the narrative is rambling, one-sided and frustrating.
The book begins well enough, with a nineteenth century factory boss being transported into the past, where his knowledge of obscure trivia and "modern" science saves his life and earns him a position as a wizard. More...
The book begins well enough, with a nineteenth century factory boss being transported into the past, where his knowledge of obscure trivia and "modern" science saves his life and earns him a position as a wizard. More...
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(2 people liked it)
Aug 01, 2010
I don't know if anything will ever beat--for emotional intensity and moral education--Huck Finn's "All right, then, I'll go to Hell" (when he recognizes that Jim is as human as he is, and that he can either ignore that fact and get along in life, or be ejected from the world and hold on to that truth). Connecticut Yankee has no such moral clarity, which is both its promise and its curse.
The moral obscurity of Connecticut Yankee comes out to trouble the reader anytime the read More...
The moral obscurity of Connecticut Yankee comes out to trouble the reader anytime the read More...
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May 17, 2010
Scott
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Apr 18, 2010
SarahC
rated it:
I have been giving Yankee a chance and I finally have simply switched to looking up essays about it, which have turned out more interesting than Yankee ever could be to me. So I can only say that from my reading I dislike this book because I expected it to be something else and it is too MUCH of what it actually is --- a political diatribe.
I must confess I tired of the style of writing and what I felt were crude and repetitive statements like "any established church is an establ More...
I must confess I tired of the style of writing and what I felt were crude and repetitive statements like "any established church is an establ More...
Jan 19, 2010
Kathleen
rated it:
This book is--being written by Mark Twain--a brilliant lampoon of both the dark ages and 19th century culture. Obviously, reason and science come out ahead of the backward people who can't inspect a well to see if it has a leak even though they're living a thousand years after the Greeks. Still, no one makes it through this book looking like anything but a blood-thirsty, power hungry animal.
The Boss travels mysteriously back in time to set up flat taxes, polluting factories, and More...
The Boss travels mysteriously back in time to set up flat taxes, polluting factories, and More...
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Sep 08, 2009
Jean
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I do not recommend this book as a read-aloud. That said, I will tell you that that is the only way I have experienced it. This time through as Ed and I read this somewhat difficult (and violent) social satire (stopping along the way to explain to each other just what was happening), I wondered just why my dad would read this book to me as a very young child. Interestingly, I began to remember certain scenes that had stayed in my head for well over forty-five years! Wow! what a weird imaginat
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Apr 11, 2010
Chana
rated it:
Sheesh, wrote a whole review, was about to hit save when the computer quit and I lost it! Here we go again:
Our main character is a Connecticut Yankee who is cracked over the head with a crowbar in 1879 and wakes in England year 528. He is quickly taken prisoner and brought to King Arthur's Court and sentenced to death. Our "Hank" is a an American however; quick-witted, educated and optimistic. He remembers that an eclipse is due to take place shortly and manages not only to s More...
Our main character is a Connecticut Yankee who is cracked over the head with a crowbar in 1879 and wakes in England year 528. He is quickly taken prisoner and brought to King Arthur's Court and sentenced to death. Our "Hank" is a an American however; quick-witted, educated and optimistic. He remembers that an eclipse is due to take place shortly and manages not only to s More...
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Dec 14, 2010
Camzcam
rated it:
I decided that I have been in a rut of emotionally disturbing or lonely pieces of fiction lately so I turned to Mark Twain to remedy the streak.
The writing is journalistic and witty in this novel just as you would expect it to be. There are some hilarious moments, most notably a description of a potential "Cat Monarchy" that had me laughing out loud. There is thoughtful description of modern and ancient dilemmas and the unchanging facets of human nature. I enjoyed this b More...
The writing is journalistic and witty in this novel just as you would expect it to be. There are some hilarious moments, most notably a description of a potential "Cat Monarchy" that had me laughing out loud. There is thoughtful description of modern and ancient dilemmas and the unchanging facets of human nature. I enjoyed this b More...
Jul 29, 2011
Honestly, not sure what to make of this. I got it as a present for my 14th birthday and am just now finishing it almost three years later. The plot can be extremely confusing, and lags somewhat in places, but has some really interesting parts as well. I like how Hank is forever going on and on about the evils of slavery and poverty and how he keeps trying to convince the people of the superiority of "modern" society - and nobody gets it. The king is hilarious when he's trying to pa
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Jul 14, 2010
Mark
rated it:
This book is awesome.
There's a ton of humor in it (a lot more than I was expecting). There's a lot of satire. There are a lot of issues. It would be great for discussion in a book club.
I love how Merlin is evil, and conniving. It gives the book some extra character.
I also love how although the main character (Hank) faces challenges, he's not forced to be in a weak position throughout the entire book. I'm glad Twain didn't do that here, although admittedly, he More...
There's a ton of humor in it (a lot more than I was expecting). There's a lot of satire. There are a lot of issues. It would be great for discussion in a book club.
I love how Merlin is evil, and conniving. It gives the book some extra character.
I also love how although the main character (Hank) faces challenges, he's not forced to be in a weak position throughout the entire book. I'm glad Twain didn't do that here, although admittedly, he More...
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Oct 29, 2011
Colleen
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I read this when I was probably 12 or 13 - just found it on the bookshelf. Here's what I remember:
It was gripping - a man goes back in time to medieval times and at first it's just really frightening - how did he get here - what will happen to him? Will he get back? It has that nightmare quality that time travel really probably would often have but never does in books or movies.
Then it got funny as he cleverly devised ways to make himself seem like a magician using modern scientific More...
It was gripping - a man goes back in time to medieval times and at first it's just really frightening - how did he get here - what will happen to him? Will he get back? It has that nightmare quality that time travel really probably would often have but never does in books or movies.
Then it got funny as he cleverly devised ways to make himself seem like a magician using modern scientific More...
Oct 25, 2010
Lauren (84Lauren)
rated it:
I really wanted to go with 3.5 stars on this one, but ultimately I decided to round down instead of up. Mark Twain is more of a genious than I gave him credit for based on the only other two books I've read of his (Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn). This book was clever, and hilarious at times - but also had a definite dark streak. The political commentary was kind of blatant in a few places, and subtle and ironic at others. The only complaint I really had were some plotline holes - just beca
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Jan 25, 2012
Georgiana
rated it:
L'americano delle barzellette
Delusissima da questo Twain pedante e saccente, che pretende di arrivare nel VI secolo e di fare tutto a modo suo, non solo, ma di piegare tutti al suo modo di vedere le cose... come se non dovessero passare 12 secoli di civilizzazione!
Ma non si rende conto che è lui che deve adeguarsi (e cercare di non farsi scoprire) allo stile di vita dell'epoca? Io francamente, sarà che sono Italiana, ma credo che ad essere trasportati in un secolo remoto si sareb More...
Delusissima da questo Twain pedante e saccente, che pretende di arrivare nel VI secolo e di fare tutto a modo suo, non solo, ma di piegare tutti al suo modo di vedere le cose... come se non dovessero passare 12 secoli di civilizzazione!
Ma non si rende conto che è lui che deve adeguarsi (e cercare di non farsi scoprire) allo stile di vita dell'epoca? Io francamente, sarà che sono Italiana, ma credo che ad essere trasportati in un secolo remoto si sareb More...
Nov 28, 2011
Melissa
rated it:
Summary: Hank is a yankee in the 19th century. He tells his memoirs to Twain. He is hit over the head with a crowbar and when he wakes up and it is the year 528. He is brought into King Arthurs court by one of his knights. He is thought to be a troll and the court decides to kill him. He takes advantage of their ignorance and he says he is a magician. He tells them if they try to kill him he will blot the sun out. Knowing that they were going to have a lunar eclipse on the day of his execution.
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Mar 23, 2011
Erika
rated it:
I was intrigued by the title of this book and having heard so much abour Mark Twain's work before but never actually read any of it I decided to give it a try. The narrative was way easier to read than I thought it would, except a couple of archaic words here and there but you get used to them soon as the characters keep repeating them. I would divide the book in three parts: the first one was funny (sorcerers battles, silly knights...), the second one is darker (touching subjects such as tortur
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Sep 07, 2009
Rebekah
rated it:
Mark Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur’s Court is one of Twain’s lesser known books. It is a delightfully sarcastic novel dealing with the issues of politics and the government. Though it is aimed at the post-revolutionary war era, it still holds true to today’s society. It deals with a middle-aged Yankee traveling back in time to Ole England around the year 528. Despite his wariness at first, the Yankee settles in using his modern knowledge and close, choice allies – including Claren
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Mar 15, 2011
Anne Hawn
rated it:
This is the classic tale of a young man, Hank Morgan, who gets hit on the head and wakes up in King Arthur's court. He is able to save himself from being executed first by doing "miraculous" things which make the people consider him a sorcerer and raise the ire of Merlin. As he travels through the countryside, he sees ills and inequalities which he tries to eradicate, but which, given the time period, only get him in to more trouble and bring trouble to the people who have befriended
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Jun 25, 2011
Rebecca
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Samuel Longhorne Clemens may have chosen a more succinct name but it didn't make him any less verbose!
At times, this book was brilliant, but surely it could have been condensed by half (of course it could, and don't call me Shirley!). I nearly gave it up half way through. Though I'm glad I continued (and didn't miss out on Merlin's weather predictions mishaps or The Knights of the Round Table baseball team), I don't think I could recommend this book to just anyone, but this poorly a More...
At times, this book was brilliant, but surely it could have been condensed by half (of course it could, and don't call me Shirley!). I nearly gave it up half way through. Though I'm glad I continued (and didn't miss out on Merlin's weather predictions mishaps or The Knights of the Round Table baseball team), I don't think I could recommend this book to just anyone, but this poorly a More...
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