Story, or narrative, according to the English critic Lovat Dickson, is one of two qualities that distinguish recent American fiction. "To the outside observer," he said, "it seemed suddenly to become characteristic of all American entertainment and to mark it off quite sharply from the English equivalent. Story suddenly became of first-rate importance, and appreciation of narrative became a marked American characteristic." The other quality Dickson mentioned was gusto. "Today it seems to us in England," he said, "the essential, distinctive, and enviable quality of American fiction. Somewhere and somehow, in the American novel towards the end of the post-war decade, solemnity was miraculously shed and in its place appeared a new virility as mysteriously and suddenly as the works of Fielding, Sterne, and Smollett had appeared in eighteenth-century England."
French critics were more impressed by other qualities of American fiction (or by the same qualities under different names): they mentioned its intensity and singleness of emotion, its earthy dialogue, its delight in physical violence, and what they called its "pure exteriority," a term they applied to the practice common among American novelists of presenting character in terms of speech and action, without auctorial comments, as if they were writing for the stage. Russian and Czech critics were deeply impressed by the technical discoveries of our novelists, whom they studied very much as American writers used to study Flaubert. Critics of all nations felt that they were dealing with a unified body of work. For that is our second impression after a survey of American books abroad: besides being immensely varied, they also possess a family resemblance that has not always been recognized at home. "American," said one French critic "is not so much a nationality as a style."
During the first half of this century, the position of American literature in foreign countries has been completely transformed. It was still regarded, before 1900, as a department of English literature, a sort of branch factory that tried to duplicate the products of the parent firm. After 1930 it came to be regarded as one of the great world literatures in its own right, and perhaps, as regards contemporary work, the greatest of them all. But this transformed position was not merely a secondary result of the growth in economic and military power of the American nation; it was also an independent development that testified to a change in the literature itself. Europeans were not slow to recognize that there had been a literary revival here after 1910; and they showed the same hospitality to the new writers of the interwar period that they had shown, a century before, to the writers of the New York and New England renaissance.
Conclusion
Mark Twain is the most famous American writer in our country. His books are being read in our country for more than one hundred years already, and interest to his creative activity is still not decreased.
Opposite, we can boldly say that with each new generation, who opens for themselves Twain’s books, the attention of the reader to Twain becomes broader and deeper.
The personality of a writer constantly causes sympathy and respect because of unrestrained gaiety of the early Twain and, anger and bitterness of the late Twain.
During his known trip to USA in 1906 A.M. Gorky had got acquaintance with Twain. The former characterized the outstanding humorist as following:
"Beside on his large skull there were splendid hair, - somewhat like wild stripes of white, cool fire.” - enchanted by the old writer, Gorky wrote.” From beneath heavy, always half-lowered ages, there is vividly seen a clever and sharp, brilliance, sculpture eye, but, when they are taken a look straight in your face, you feel that all wrinkles on him are measured and will remain for ever in memories of this person.
With the help of the Twain’s books, tales, journeys, we get acquainted with the American folk, American history, their customs, and the beauty of the American nature. The Great Russian poet Nicolay Aseev wrote: “I am very fond of Mark Twain. He, with the only one wave of his hand, instantly carries me to the bank of the majestic Mississippi river. And I see in the silver depths the life of the people of the Mississippi.”
We also feel the same delight of Mark Twain when he, as a real patriot of his country, criticizes his own country. The Russian writer Yury Olesha expressed the thoughts of all our folk, when he wrote, “Mark Twain threw all his genius to the service for humanity, to the fortification of humans’ belief in them, to the help of soul development aside to fairness, good and beauties!” And these words seem to us as the best to show the significance of Mark Twain for humanity.
Bibliography
1. Albert В.Paine. Mark Twain. A Biography. Vols.1-2, 1982 Harvard University press pp.483, 511
2. A.Paine Mark Twain and his works Washington 2002 pp.160-161
3. А.Старцев Жизнь и творчество Марка Твена М. ИХЛ 1976 стр 23, 45-46, 79, 112-113, 255
4. History of the American Literature M. High School 1987 pp.223-224
5. Internet: http:// www.marktwainhouse.org/mark_twain.htm
6. Internet: http://www. etext.virginia.edu/railton/ Charles Wyett In-depth look at the writer. txt
7. Internet: http://www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Twain.doc
8. Internet: http:// bancroft.berkeley.edu/MTP/Mark Twain’s Papers.html
9. Internet: http:// www.pbs.org/marktwain/ Life and writings of the great American writer, Mark Twain. htm pp.1-3
10.Internet:http://www.educateyourself.ru/philology/English/literature/twain/ critics.htm
11. Mark Twain Collection of works NewYork 1997 pp.156-159, 274-276, 279, 412
12.. Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn M. Prosveshcheniye 1986 pp.13, 26, 78, 134, 145, 149
13.·Mark Twain The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer L. High School 1974 pp. 34,47, 89, 113-114
14. Mark Twain. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court M. Drofa 2003 p.134, 163, 222, 267
15. Mark Twain quotations Prentice Hall Publishers 2001 pp.34, 46, 172, 228, 291
16. Philip Phoner Twain Prinston, 1998 p.145
17. Readings on modern American Literature M. High School 1977 pp. 177-229
18. The Correspondence of Samuel L.Clemens and William D.Howells. 1872-1910. Vols. 1-2. Harvard Universily Press, 1960 pp. 284, 287, 312
19. World Book Encyclopedia New York 1993 Vol. 21 pp.597-600
20. Юрий Олеша Заметки о Твене М. Детская литература 1975 стр. 11
21. Юрий Олеша. Ни дня без строчки. М., 1965, стр. 216-220.
[1]Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn M. Prosveshcheniye 1986 pp.13, 26, 78, 134, 145, 149
[2]Mark Twain Collection of works NewYork 1997 pp.156-159, 274-276, 279, 412
[3]Mark Twain The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer L. High School 1974 pp. 34,47, 89, 113-114
[4]Mark Twain. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court M. Drofa 2003 p.134, 163, 222, 267
[5]Mark Twain. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court M. Drofa 2003 p.134, 163, 222, 267
[6]Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn M. Prosveshcheniye 1986 pp.13, 26, 78, 134, 145, 149
[7]Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn M. Prosveshcheniye 1986 pp.13, 26, 78, 134, 145, 149
[8]Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn M. Prosveshcheniye 1986 pp.13, 26, 78, 134, 145, 149
[9]The Correspondence of Samuel L.Clemens and William D.Howells. 1872-1910. Vols. 1-2. Harvard Universily Press, 1960