Books with title The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson

David Wilson is called "Pudd'nhead" by the townspeople, who fail to understand his combination of wisdom and eccentricity. He redeems himself by simultaneously solving a murder mystery and a case of transposed identities. Two children, a white boy and a mulatto, are born on the same day. Roxy, mother of the mulatto, is given charge of the children; in fear that her son will be sold, she exchanges the babies. The mulatto, though he grows up as a white boy, turns out to be a scoundrel. He sells his mother, murders and robs his uncle, then blames the murder on Luigi, one of a pair of twins. Pudd'nhead, a lawyer, undertakes Luigi's defense and, on the basis of fingerprint evidence, exposes the real murderer. The book implicitly condemns a society that allows slavery. It concludes with a series of witty aphorisms from Pudd'nhead's calendar.

At the beginning of Pudd'nhead Wilson a young slave woman, fearing for her infant's 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, 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.

At the beginning of "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" a young slave woman, fearing for her infant's 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, 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.

First serialized in “The Century Magazine” between 1893 and 1894, Mark Twain’s “Pudd’nhead Wilson” is a murder mystery set before the American Civil War in Missouri, more specifically, on the Mississippi River. During infancy, a light-skinned black baby and a white-skinned baby were switched at birth by a slave mother. Because the black baby grows up thinking he is white, he is highly racist toward his slaves. The white baby, who thinks he is a slave, grows up with no guidance and makes a living stealing, drinking, and doing other immoral things. During a murder trial, the town lawyer Puddn’head Wilson, who is seen as a peculiar fellow by the townsfolk, is able to expose the boys’ true identities. “Puddn’head Wilson” is a story carried by themes of racism, Southern customs, and questions of identity. On the surface it is a witty and satirical tale but as one digs deeper a biting social commentary of racial inequality can be found. This edition is printed on premium acid-free paper.

Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) is a novel by American writer Mark Twain. Its central intrigue revolves around two boys—one, born into slavery, with 1/32 black ancestry; the other, white, born to be the master of the house. The two boys, who look similar, are switched at infancy. Each grows into the other's social role.The story was serialized in The Century Magazine (1893–4), before being published as a novel in 1894.

Switched at birth by a young slave woman attempting to protect her son from the horrors of slavery, a light-skinned infant changes places with the master's white son. This simple premise is the basis of Pudd'nhead Wilson, a compelling drama that contains all the elements of a classic 19th-century mystery: reversed identities, a ghastly crime, an eccentric detective, and a tense courtroom scene.First published in 1894, Twain's novel bristles with suspense. David "Pudd’nhead" Wilson, a wise but unorthodox lawyer who collects fingerprints as a hobby, wins back the respect of his townspeople when he solves a local murder in which two foreigners are falsely accused. Witty and absorbing, this novel features a literary first — the use of fingerprinting to solve a crime. This gem was Twain's last novel about the antebellum South; and despite its frequent injections of humor, it offers a fierce condemnation of racial prejudice and a society that condoned slavery.

"The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" begins with the act of a young slave girl exchanging her light-skinned child, fearing for its safety, for that of her master's. From this reversal of identities evolves a suspenseful murder mystery and courtroom drama. "The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson" is everything one would expect from a novel by Mark Twain. On the surface it is a witty and satirical tale but as one digs deeper a biting social commentary of racial inequality can be found.

ANNOTATED:* Contains additional historical materials* Contains extensive biographical and critical informationBOOK DETAILS:This handsomely produced volume contains Mark Twain's original unabridged version of The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson as well as the complete text of the "Author's Note to Those Extraordinary Twins". A searching critique of racism in America, Mark Twain's novel remain as relevant today as it did more than 100 years ago. A masterpiece of American literature. This volume also contains extensive historical and critical commentary to accompany the text, including full length essays on Mark Twain's life and literary legacy.SPECIAL KINDLE ENABLED FEATURES:This edition has special Kindle enabled features, including interactive table of contents, text-to-speech capabilities which enable audiobook features, as well as words that can be looked up on the Kindle supplied built in dictionary

Another of Mark Twain's best-selling yarns of skullduggery and mischief. Set in the deep South, Pudd'nhead Wilson is the central character as an attorney who solves a murder mystery and lays bare the wicked deeds of a larger than life ensemble of personalities in his own wry and peculiar way. David Wilson is called “Pudd’nhead” by the townspeople, who fail to understand his combination of wisdom and eccentricity. He redeems himself by simultaneously solving a murder mystery and a case of transposed identities. Two children, a white boy and a mulatto, are born on the same day. Roxy, mother of the mulatto, is given charge of the children; in fear that her son will be sold, she exchanges the babies. The mulatto, though he grows up as a white boy, turns out to be a scoundrel. He sells his mother and murders and robs his uncle. He accuses Luigi, one of a pair of twins, of the murder. Pudd’nhead, a lawyer, undertakes Luigi’s defense. On the basis of fingerprint evidence, he exposes the real murderer, and the white boy takes his rightful place. The book implicitly condemns a society that allows slavery. It concludes with a series of witty aphorisms from Pudd’nhead’s calendar. Table of Contents: A Whisper to the Reader Chapter 01 Pudd'nhead Wins His Name Chapter 02 Driscoll Spares His Slaves Chapter 03 Roxy Plays a Shrewd Trick Chapter 04 The Ways of the Changelings Chapter 05 The Twins Thrill Dawson's Landing Chapter 06 Swimming in Glory Chapter 07 The Unknown Nymph Chapter 08 Marse Tom Tramples His Chance Chapter 09 Tom Practices Sycophancy Chapter 10 The Nymph Revealed Chapter 11 Pudd'nhead's Thrilling Discovery Chapter 12 The Shame of Judge Driscoll Chapter 13 Tom Stares at Ruin Chapter 14 Roxana Insists Upon Reform Chapter 15 The Robber Robbed Chapter 16 Sold Down the River Chapter 17 The Judge Utters Dire Prophesy Chapter 18 Roxana Commands Chapter 19 The Prophesy Realized Chapter 20 The Murderer Chuckles Chapter 21 Doom Conclusion Author's Note to Those Extraordinary Twins