A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain.
It is worth noting that this work may be the first example of time travel in literature.
Plot summary
The novel tells the tale of Hank Morgan, a 19th-century citizen of Hartford, Connecticut who awakens to find himself mysteriously transported back in time to early medieval England at the time of the legendary King Arthur in AD 528. Hank uses his modern technological knowledge and Yankee ingenuity to advance the superstitious, brutal and ignorant old English society and secure a high position for himself, but later falls victim to modern society's own darker side.With its anachronistic technology, such as the telegraph, bicycle, etc., the book has a claim to being the first steampunk tale.
While parts of the book poke fun at contemporary society, the main thrust is a satire of romanticized ideas of chivalry and of the idealization of the Middle Ages such as was common in 19th-century literature, most notably perhaps in the novels of Sir Walter Scott. For example, the book portrays the medieval English as being very gullible, as when Merlin makes a "veil of invisibility" that actually does not exist. When the veil is worn, people act as if they did not see the wearer, even though he is in plain view.
Allusions/references from other works
Sam Raimi's 1993 horror film Army of Darkness incorporates many elements of the Twain story: the protagonist is sent back in time to a medieval setting, where he uses his modern knowledge of chemistry and technology to fight a horde of undead.Another take is the Ducktales episode "Sir Gyro de Gearloose" where Gyro Gearloose goes back in time to fulfill his dream of becoming a knight in the time of his world's version of Camelot and abandon his career as an inventor.
The French film [François Premier], starring Fernandel, is a variation on the theme, the modern day Frenchman being sent in the 16th century, at the court of Francis I of France ([plot summary]).
Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
This famous story has been adapted to stage, feature-length motion pictures, and animated cartoons numerous times since the beginning of the 20th century.It was made into the 1929 musical A Connecticut Yankee by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart.
In 1949 it was reworked into a film starring Bing Crosby and Rhonda Fleming, this time with music composed by James Van Heusen and Victor Young.
It has also inspired many variations and parodies. One of many is the 1995 Walt Disney Studios adaptation of the book into a feature film under the name A Kid in King Arthur's Court. As the title suggests, the protagonist of the Disney film is considerably younger than Twain's original character.
See also
External links
- [A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The complete, fully illustrated text online]
- [Entire text online]
- [A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court] - Full text in easy to read HTML format.
- [SparkNotes on the book]
- [Free eBook: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court] at Project Gutenberg
- [Free audiobook] from [LibriVox]
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