Mark Twain and the Feminine Aesthetic [Paperback]

In this 1992 book, Peter Stoneley analyzes Mark Twain's preoccupation with the nature and value of the 'feminine'.Mark Twain's preoccupation with the nature and value of the 'feminine' has long been recognized as a central feature of his writing. In this 1992 volume, Peter Stoneley goes beyond generalizations to provide a detailed analysis of this theme.Mark Twain's preoccupation with the nature and value of the 'feminine' has long been recognized as a central feature of his writing. In this 1992 volume, Peter Stoneley goes beyond generalizations to provide a detailed analysis of this theme.This book traces the ways in which Mark Twain was formed by, and sought to manipulate, the ideology of gender. Peter Stoneley considers the range of Twain's writing, from classic novels such as The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to embittered autobiographical fragments. Twain's preoccupation with the nature and value of the feminine has long been recognized as a central feature of his writing. Stoneley goes beyond repeated generalizations to provide a detailed analysis; his book will be of interest to scholars and students of American literature, cultural history and gender studies.Acknowledgements; List of illustrations; Introduction; 1. Mark Twain's early career; 2. The Mississippi Valley; 3. The Prince and the Pauper and Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc; 4. A Horse's Tale and Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer among the Indians; 5. Mark Twain and Mary Baker Eddy; 6. 'To the Unborn Reader'; Conclusion; Note on the texts and list of abbreviations; Index. Stoneley's examination of Twain's representations of women and of feminine culture reveals the wider contradictions of his work....More than this, Stoneley offers a necessary corrective to the customary schismatic presentation of the female and marks a useful continuation of inquiry into what Alfred Habegger has called, in a phrase from Henry James, the 'Woman Business' in nineteenth-century America. Ian F. A. Bell, Language &amlÓP