Part Three—Pre-reading Questions

Part Four—Integrated Structure

Part Five—Introductory Remarks

Part Six— Study in Detail

Paraphrase:

1. Mark Twain digested the new American experience before sharing it with the world as writer and lecturer.

2. Mark Twain began digging his way to regional fame as a newspaper reporter and Humorist.

Key:

1. Mark Twain first observed and absorbed the new American experience, and then introduced it to the world in his books or lectures.

2. Mark Twain began working hard to became well known locally as a newspaper reporter and humorist.

Read and identify the types of figurative language.

1. What I like best are the stern cliffs, with ranges of mountains soaring behind them, full of possibilities, peaks to be scaled only by the most daring. What plants of high altitudes grow unvanished among their crags and valleys? So do I let my imagination play over the recesses of Laura’s character, so austere in the foreground but nurturing what treasures of tenderness, like delicate flowers, for the discovery of the venture-some.

2. The messenger was not long in returning, followed by a pair of heavy boots that came bumping along the passage like boxes.

Key:

1. analogy; 2.metony, simile

论文名称：喜剧作家的悲剧意识

作者：李志斌

摘要：凭借小说浓郁的幽默意味，马克 · 吐温赢得了“小说界的喜剧家”之美誉。然而，通过大量的中短篇小说和长篇小说，我们分明看到马克吐温集中而又深刻地表现了美国的悲剧，包括政治悲剧、经济悲剧、情感悲剧和人性悲剧等等。马克 · 吐温是一个具有强烈的悲剧意识的喜剧作家，他采用不同的艺术形式，使自己的小说具有了亦悲亦喜、亦庄亦谐的美学内涵。