Download or read book The Changing Philosophy of Mark Twain written by Stuart Preston Mills and published by . This book was released on 1993 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The primary aim of this study is to trace the philosophical changes in the writing career of Mark Twain. While its main emphasis rests on his later writings (roughly the last decade and a half of his life and including notebooks and letters), some examination will be given to earlier works in order to trace the development of his fundamental ideas. Chapter one examines current conceptions about Mark Twain as a legitimate thinker. Mark Twain was always referred to as the great "American Humorist" yet was never really recognized as a legitmate thinker, so this chapter sheds some light on his philosophical backgrounds and on why he should be considered a humorist and a thinker. Observations from several critics as well as family members and close associates offer testimony to his philosophic abilities. Chapter two delves into Mark Twain's lifelong fascination with God and religion. This chapter exposes the changing duality in his view of God and how he ultimately rejects both the views (the irascible Biblical God and the supposedly beneficent God who controls the universe) in favor of a mechanistically determined universe under the control of a malevolent God who is indifferent to the needs of man. Chapter three examines Twain's equal fascination with "the damned human race." He shows his scorn for man's unmerited pride and innate selfishness. He views the human race as insignificant in the universal scheme of things and places men on a moral level lower than rodents and germs. This chapter also exammes what Mark Twain called the Moral Sense, which is the God given ability to distinguish between right and wrong and then choose to do wrong. Man's inability to control his existence leads to the development of Twain's mechanistic "gospel," What Is Man? Chapter four takes a close look at What Is Man? and its autobiographical and fictional analogues in an explanation of Twain's deterministic philosophy. Backgrounds and philosophical influences are also traced to some extent. Relating to chapter three, this chapter examines the idea that man is a machine who has no control over his existence. Circumstance, heredity, and environment all exert control over his every action. Training and temperament are also examined as controlling factors. The chapter ultimately concludes with the assumption that this mechanistic gospel, while removing moral responsibility from all of Twain's actions, does not work for him. He must shift his philosophy to solipsism. Twain's solipsistic philosophy is discussed at length in Chapter five. This chapter traces the development of Twain's interest in dreams, looking not only at some of the influences upon him, but also examining his notebooks, letters, and early fiction as a progression of philosophical ideas. Most of this chapter is devoted to the solipsistic "Conclusion of the book" for the "No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger" version of The Mysterious Stranger manuscripts and how this becomes his new gospel. Similar passages from other works and various views from noted critics help to bolster my assumption that this philosophy is legitimate and does not serve as a mere emotional coping device for his grief. Finally, the conclusion reiterates some of the views put forth in chapter five. It compares the critical viewpoints on solipsism as a philosophic reality and makes the assertion that Mark Twain should indeed be considered a legitimate thinker"--Document.