"We were in a trap, you see-- a trap of our own making. If we stayed where we were, our dead would kill us; if we moved out of our defences, we should no longer be invincible. We had conquered; in turn we were conquered."
This is, in a nutshell, the difficulty I have with Twain's book. It creates a trap-- a very subtle trap that Twain forces the reader to create. In it, the protagonist, Hank Morgan, pretty much forces the people of Arthur's time to accept all sorts of technological advances that at first seem to create great progress-- but then in then end, these very things that were to bring these people out of darkness only plunge them into greater darkness and, eventually, totally annihilate them.
Of course, as is true with many books I have enjoyed, the best part about the book is this trap it creates, for it forces people to think. I don't think I've ever met any reader of this book that didn't have a strong opinion of it. Not everyone loves to evaluate things that most of us take for granted.
Read "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court." You may not like it, but you will leave it with a new perspective.
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I started that book, on a suggestion by Jonathan, in Feb. 2009 and have yet to finish it. I think it might be that subtle trap that is holding me back from finishing it. I promised Jonathan that I would finish reading it this summer so I could get his book back to him. Guess I'd better get started on that...
ReplyDeleteJonathan gives good advice.
ReplyDeleteHowever, this is not exactly the most enjoyable of books-- just to warn you, in case this post didn't do it.
When you finish, let's talk about it!
maybe it's enjoyable for a certain personality type... I found it a bit draggish in the middle but overall liked the story, but I can say the same about That Hideous Strength.
ReplyDeleteYou should write a review for "That Hideous Strength" that we could post on here!
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