A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" is one of those rarest literary treasures: a comedy that, for all it's hilarity, actually has both a heart and a brain. Not just a set of cheap laughs, as most comedy of any sort is, Mark Twain's classic novel enlightens as it entertains, throwing an unflinching spotlight on the darker elements of human nature both in the Utopian (to our eyes) Camelot and of modern capitalism and the American Dream.The plot is a familiar one in our age of sci-fi and fantasy, though it was innovative when Twain conceived it: Hank Morgan, an enterprising 19th-century engineer, is knocked unconscious and comes to in King Arthur's fabled Camelot. Bewildered but determined to make the best of the situation, Morgan uses his knowledge of history and mechanical skills to convince everyone he is a super-magician greater than even Merlin. Once ensconced as the King's right-hand man, Morgan sets about reforming the country into a republic, a sort of prototype America. Most of the book follows Morgan through a series of haphazard adventures which Twain uses to illuminate the great but often forgotten evils of the Dark Ages, including the abuses of the Catholic Church, the ignorant and useless ruling body that inevitably arises from a monarchy, and the pitiful working conditions of the medieval peasant or slave.Nor is Twain's critical eye trained only on the far-flung past. Though Morgan is essentially a sympathetic figure, he struggles to find anything the least bit admirable about the knights and nobles he must live with, and considers the chivalric code merely fit for derision. Meanwhile, Morgan's own capitalist code is in full effect, and he takes advantage of every opportunity to cash in his advanced education for the big bucks.Colorful and sublimely written, Twain's time-travel masterpiece is both a magical fantasy and a stinging dystopian satire. Don't be fooled by the several movie versions of this story, some of which are great fun in their own right. Yes, the novel is funny, often riotously so, but the humorous skin hides a deadly earnestness beneath, and the finale is far less optimistic than one who has first seen the film versions will doubtless expect. A deservedly immortal literary gem.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (a book by Mark Twain himself) is the tale of a soul from the late 19th century by the name of Hank Morgan, who one day after a blow to the head, somehow travels back in time and finds himself in 6th century Arthurian England. With his modern knowledge of technology, Hank is able to convince the people he is a very skilled magician even outclassing the likes of Merlin and earns himself a very important seat in King Arthur’s court and becomes known far and wide by the nickname, “The Boss”. With his high ranking position and knowledge from thirteen centuries in the future, this Yankee tries to reform England from the inside.This book was strangely interesting to me, and for many good reasons. I read this book for a school assignment and finished it way before my project deadline (very rarely do I finish a book for school so quickly). I enjoyed how Mark Twain developed the main character’s conflicting attitudes throughout the story. For every moment he seemed very unsympathetic and mean there was an equal moment where he was the most fragile and empathetic being in the entire story. To me, Hank’s character represented the duality of human nature as well as its ability to adapt to a variety of different situations. Although Hank stated to originally hate and despise the culture and society of the time he was transported to, across the book you see him become accustomed to it as he adapts, builds relationships, and even, later on, builds a family for himself in this accursed time. But even so, he still holds the idea that his time is superior. It isn’t until toward the end of the book, but eventually, Hank is able to advance England with the introduction of the telephone and even names the child he has “Hello Central”, which is what telephone operators would say when you called the telephone office in his time. In the midst of all the comedy and satire throughout the book, that plot point was the big dash of irony that I feel defines Hank’s character and made him human and relatable.What I didn’t like about the book was the childish criticism about the Catholic Church, which wasn’t exactly wrong but was expressed in a way that got boring over time. The Church was a big part of the governmental system in the 6th century, and so as such, it has a large impact on the course of the book. The Yankee, coming from America where the separation of church and state exists as well as most likely living amongst more Protestants, outwardly hates on the Catholic Church and their toxic influence over the peasants of England as well as the nobility in his commentary. His opinions about The Church are well supported and reasonable, but over time it gets boring as he always seems to blame everything on them. It seemed like a very childish way of expressing his genuine distaste, and it got old when The Church didn’t seem to have a very direct role in the story for most of the book (though they do later on). It made me think of when in Scooby-doo they always say “And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids,” except in Hank’s case it is more annoying and would say “And I would be able to revolutionize England if it wasn’t for that meddling Church!” Hank would also say it at least once every chapter. I mainly got irritated because it was the SAME thing EVERY time he mentioned them. But luckily, that was one of the only things I had a problem with in the book, and I have more things that I liked about it than not.My favorite part of reading this book was getting to experience the peculiar sense of humor that Twain littered throughout the entire book. The time the book was written in was full of nothing but tragedy, and we are constantly hit with the realities of slavery, disease, and great poverty that plague the land. Naturally, you’d think that a time with such suffering would be hard to make very comedic (especially to the point of making a reader laugh aloud), but there’s something about how Mark Twain utilizes ‘dark humor’ that makes parts of the book hilarious. There are two parts in particular in which I think this ‘dark humor’ made me laugh the most. The first was rather early on and broke me with a single sentence, “For some reason or other the queen had the composer hanged after dinner.” The queen in question was King Arthur’s half-sister, Morgan Le Fay, who is presented to be one of the most heartless characters in the book. What had me on my knees in laugher was how casually her cruelty was expressed. There wasn’t a reason specified for the hanging, she didn’t do it because he had angered her or because he had said something outwardly mocking her, she just did it “[f]or some reason or other”. The second instance was simply the title of one of the later chapters, “The Yankee and the King Sold as Slaves.” The King and Hank end up going undercover with the common folk, but in the process get captured and sold as slaves, not even selling for more than the average slave. While it is commenting on a very serious subject, imagining such a high and mighty figure such as the legendary King Arthur getting sold as a slave, being worth no more than about average, is priceless to me. While reading it I thought “where’s your divine right now?” Both instances are probably moments that in another book, could be the most devastating and intense scenes in the entire story. But with Mark Twain’s way of twisting the situation, sometimes you can’t help but laugh.Overall, this book has become one of my favorites out of all the stories I’ve read for school. If you are someone who takes books very seriously, I would definitely stay away from this book. But if you’re someone who is okay with a little bit of questionable humor that is in no way meant to be taken seriously, then I would definitely recommend reading this book. Besides the satire and comedy, this book also has a lot to offer in terms of intricate themes and complex messages that I feel can only be truly understood if you read the book itself. As the author of this book, Mark Twain never ceased to amaze me. I feel that through his writing, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court could potentially offer something to anyone who reads it and is definitely worth the time to finish.

What a great novel! Twain is wonderfully funny, yet his scathing social commentary concerning his own times are as serious as a heart attack.When a Connecticut Yankee gets sent back in time to King Arthur's Court, he decides his superior knowledge should be used to educate such an "ignorant race." Of course, we all know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and if I didn't know better, I would say that the person who coined the phrase did so after finishing this novel. The story's main character, Hank Morgan, is a likeable, if not laughable character, yet as most of us already know: absolute power corrupts absolutely. Once technology gets on a roll, the beast of civilization takes off running and Morgan cannot pull in the reigns. Total disaster ensues (incase you had not already guessed).This was a fun read and a look at a problem that is still very much alive today. Too much civilization can be like a disease, especially when those who are working to spread it find that they are doing it for reasons other than altruism.Also, do you remember the scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" when Indiana Jones whips out his gun to shoot the sword-wielding Sultan? That scene was surely lifted from this very book!Trust me, this is a novel for thought, but one that will not bore you. Twain was a master and this is perhaps my favorite of his novels. Very highly recommended.