1601 Conversation as it was by the Social Fireside in the Time of the Tudors (kindle) by Mark Twain



The commentary is actually more interesting than the story

Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Literary critic Edward Wagenknecht called 1601 "the most famous piece of pornography in American literature."

Just to be clear, it's not really pornography, at least not by modern standards. Rather, it's a short story featuring Queen Elizabeth I, Ben Jonson, Beaumont, Shakespeare, the Duchess of Bilgewater, Sir Walter Raleigh and a few other people all in a closet talking about passing gas and sex.

Sound strange?

Well, it is and only so-so funny.

3/4 of this download is a fairly interesting commentary on the history of the story and about the characters. We learn that Twain wrote this as a diversion after the publication of Tom Sawyer (while he was working on Huckleberry Finn) during a time of writer's block. Twain showed it to some friends who published a few copies and then it snowballed. Twain's 1601 went "viral" before there was an internet, apparently.

I rate this kindle short story 3 stars out of 5. It can be found on Amazon.com here: 1601 Conversation as it was by the Social Fireside in the Time of the Tudors.

Reviewed on May 20, 2009.

Comments

Popular posts over the last 30 days

BRIAN EPSTEIN: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

VICKSBURG, 1863 by Winston Groom

JOHN DENVER: A LIFE from BEGINNING to END (kindle) by Hourly History

BEAT the REAPER (audiobook) by Josh Bazell

SLAUGHTERHOUSE-FIVE: THE GRAPHIC NOVEL by Kurt Vonnegut and Ryan North.

THE BIG EMPTY (Elvis Cole/Joe Pike #20) (audiobook) by Robert Crais

NPR AMERICAN CHRONICLES: WORLD WAR I (audiobook) by NPR

The Vision of the Anointed: Self-Congratulation as a Basis for Social Policy by Thomas Sowell

THREE WEEKS to SAY GOODBYE by C.J. Box

Darwin's Plantation: Evolution's Racist Roots by Ken Ham and A. Charles Ware