NEW YORKER - Mark Twain essay on free speech & an excerpt from upcoming Twain essay collection
Towse
Ain't he dead?
The essay: "The Privilege of the Grave"
<http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/12/22/081222fa_fact_twain>
Abstract. Complete essay not available online at THE NEW YORKER.
The essay begins with a meditation on what the grave offers that life
does not: "Its occupant has one privilege which is not exercised by any
living person: free speech. The living man is not really without this
privilege — strictly speaking — but as he possesses it merely as an
empty formality, and knows better than to make use of it, it cannot be
seriously regarded as an actual possession. As an active privilege, it
ranks with the privilege of committing murder: we may exercise it if we
are willing to take the consequences. Murder is forbidden both in form
and in fact; free speech is granted in form but forbidden in fact. By
the common estimate both are crimes, and are held in deep odium by
civilized peoples."
[Boy howdy, does that have echoes of Erhard Seminar Training or what?]
[see also Twain's "Corn-Pone Opinions":
<http://www.paulgraham.com/cornpone.html>]
The essay is from a collection titled, WHO IS MARK TWAIN: 24 Never
Before Published pieces by the American Master, which will be published
April, 2009.
Harper's Web site for the book:
<http://harperstudioekit.com/books/whoismarktwain/index.php>
At the site Harper is offering a PDF with three essays (not the one
included in THE NEW YORKER) from the upcoming book.
<http://harperstudioekit.com/books/whoismarktwain/pdf/WhoIsMarkTwain_Excerpt.pdf>
One of those essays begins,
WHENEVER I AM ABOUT TO PUBLISH A BOOK
WHENEVER I am about to publish a book, I feel an impatient desire to
know what kind of a book it is. Of course I can find this out only by
waiting until the critics shall have printed their reviews. I do know,
beforehand, what the verdict of the general public will be, because I
have a sure and simple method of ascertaining that. Which is this—if you
care to know. I always read the manuscript to a private group of
friends, composed as follows:
1. Man and woman with no sense of humor.
2. Man and woman with medium sense of humor.
3. Man and woman with prodigious sense of humor.
4. An intensely practical person.
5. A sentimental person.
6. Person who must have a moral in, and a purpose.
7. Hypercritical person—natural flaw-picker and fault-finder.
8. Enthusiast—person who enjoys anything and everything, almost.
9. Person who watches the others, and applauds or condemns with the
majority.
10. Half a dozen bright young girls and boys, unclassified.
11. Person who relishes slang and familiar flippancy.
12. Person who detests them.
13. Person of evenly-balanced judicial mind.
14. Man who always goes to sleep.
These people accurately represent the general public. Their verdict is
the sure forecast of the verdict of the general public. There is not a
person among them whose opinion is not valuable to me; but the man whom
I most depend upon—the man whom I watch with the deepest solicitude—the
man who does most toward deciding me as to whether I shall publish the
book or burn it, is the man who always goes to sleep. If he drops off
within fifteen minutes, I burn the book; if he keeps awake
three-quarters of an hour, I publish—and I publish with the greatest
confidence, too."
[...]
and continues:
<http://harperstudioekit.com/books/whoismarktwain/pdf/WhoIsMarkTwain_Excerpt.pdf>
--
Sal
Ye olde swarm of links: thousands of links for writers, researchers and
the terminally curious <http://writers.internet-resources.com>
$Zero
>
> One of those essays begins,
>
> WHENEVER I AM ABOUT TO PUBLISH A BOOK
>
> WHENEVER I am about to publish a book, I feel an impatient desire to
> know what kind of a book it is. Of course I can find this out only by
> waiting until the critics shall have printed their reviews. I do know,
> beforehand, what the verdict of the general public will be, because I
> have a sure and simple method of ascertaining that. Which is this—if you
> care to know. I always read the manuscript to a private group of
> friends, composed as follows:
>
> 1. Man and woman with no sense of humor.
ROTFLMAO!
> 2. Man and woman with medium sense of humor.
> 3. Man and woman with prodigious sense of humor.
> 4. An intensely practical person.
> 5. A sentimental person.
> 6. Person who must have a moral in, and a purpose.
> 7. Hypercritical person—natural flaw-picker and fault-finder.
> 8. Enthusiast—person who enjoys anything and everything, almost.
> 9. Person who watches the others, and applauds or condemns with the
> majority.
> 10. Half a dozen bright young girls and boys, unclassified.
> 11. Person who relishes slang and familiar flippancy.
> 12. Person who detests them.
> 13. Person of evenly-balanced judicial mind.
> 14. Man who always goes to sleep.
>
> These people accurately represent the general public. Their verdict is
> the sure forecast of the verdict of the general public. There is not a
> person among them whose opinion is not valuable to me; but the man whom
> I most depend upon—the man whom I watch with the deepest solicitude—the
> man who does most toward deciding me as to whether I shall publish the
> book or burn it, is the man who always goes to sleep. If he drops off
> within fifteen minutes, I burn the book; if he keeps awake
> three-quarters of an hour, I publish—and I publish with the greatest
> confidence, too."
huh?
wha?
oh...
> [...]
>
> and continues:
> <http://harperstudioekit.com/books/whoismarktwain/pdf/WhoIsMarkTwain_E...>
-$Zero...
remember pet rocks? ANYTHING can be marketed.
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/b384cde98a1cde49
Skipper
<a2a15563-c5fb-4d56...@s9g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,
$Zero <zero...@gmail.com> wrote:
Still zero jisms, I see. You need to read Twain's essay on onanism.
$Zero
> In article
> <a2a15563-c5fb-4d56-affb-378032f86...@s9g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,
so your continued fascination and obsession with my jisms has moved on
to thoughts of me masturbating as well, huh?
yikes, cult-boy, you ARE a strange one.
> > > [...]
>
> > > and continues:
> > > <http://harperstudioekit.com/books/whoismarktwain/pdf/WhoIsMarkTwain_Excerpt.pdf>
>
> > -$Zero...
>
> > remember pet rocks? ANYTHING can be marketed.
> > http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/b384cde98a1cde49
>
> > http://mustbuytees.com
-$Zero...
and how do customers get into that condition?
http://groups.google.com/group/misc.writing/msg/fb8224fce651c93d