Puddnhead Wilson : And, Those Extraordinary Twins (The Penguin English Library)

Written as a sharp social commentary, Mark Twain’s scathing novel of mistaken identity and racial inequality remains strikingly relevant today—with an introduction by Langston Hughes. At the beginning of Pudd’nhead Wilson a young enslaved woman, fearing for her infant son’s life, exchanges her light-skinned child with her master’s. From this rather simple premise Mark Twain fashioned one of his most entertaining and funny, yet biting novels. On its surface, Pudd’nhead Wilson possesses all the elements of an engrossing nineteenth-century mystery: reversed identities, a horrible crime, an eccentric detective, a suspenseful courtroom drama, and a surprising, unusual solution. Yet it is not a mystery novel. Seething with the undercurrents of antebellum southern culture, the book is a savage indictment in which the real criminal is society, and racial prejudice and slavery are the crimes. Written in 1894, Pudd’nhead Wilson glistens with characteristic Twain humor, with suspense, and with pointed irony: a gem among the author’s later works.
ASIN: 0140430407
VSKU: 31UIGP002EEJ_ns
Condition: Acceptable
Author/Artist:Twain, Mark|Bradbury, Malcolm
Binding: Paperback
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Condition Notes: The item is very worn but is perfectly usable. Signs of wear can include aesthetic issues such as scratches, dents, worn and creased covers, folded page corners and minor liquid stains. All pages and the cover are intact, but the dust cover may be missing. Pages may include moderate to heavy amount of notes and highlighting, but the text is not obscured or unreadable. Page edges may have foxing age related spots and browning . May NOT include discs, access code or other supplemental materials.