Mark Twain's western years

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to make a study of the life and writings of Mark Twain in Nevada and California between l86l and 1865 in the light of the considerable amount of new information and republished writings which have been made available in the last fifteen years. No detailed criticism of this early work has yet been made. I have included a chapter on Twain's early life and newspaper work because it seemed a necessary introduction to a study of his Western years. I have also included material on frontier society in general, and literature and journalism in particular, wherever it seemed useful to the understanding of Twain's writings.