Prince and the Pauper

Author: (American) Mark Twain Translator: Lei Haiying/Origin Country: United States
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Mark Twain is one of the most important writers in American literary history. This book is a historical novel he wrote in the 1880s, set against the backdrop of 16th-century English society. Through dramatic plots and the construction of a bizarre story based on mistaken identities, it critiques the feudal autocratic system. Although the story is about 16th-century England, it reflects the realities of Mark Twain's time—19th-century capitalist America. When writing this novel, the author was no longer as optimistic about society as he had been in his early works. The tone of the novel shifted from light humor to sharp satire. Today, this work is one of the novels by the author that has been adapted into films the most; it has also been animated and released in many countries, beloved by people of all ages and nationalities. It has far surpassed the original meaning of the novel, becoming an allegory for a certain life situation. In the long history of the development of world children's literature, the classic works of these masters continue to influence generation after generation of young readers. This book is part of the World Children's Literary Classics Series, which primarily selects and republishes influential world children's literary masterpieces that have been long-standing. The main purpose is to provide better literary reading materials for young friends, allowing them to gain more beneficial insights while reading and appreciating these children's literary classics. This helps broaden their horizons, refine their character, enrich their imagination, and make their lives more colorful and interesting. Let's skip a few years forward. London had already had a history of 1,500 years and was already a large city at that time. Its residents numbered ten thousand—or some thought it was even more. The streets were very narrow, winding, and dirty, especially the area where Tom Canty lived, which was not far from London Bridge. The houses were made of wood, with the second floor projecting over the first, and the third floor over the second. The higher the house, the wider it was. The skeletons of the houses were made of strong wooden beams crossed together, with some hard materials embedded in the middle, and then plastered over. The beams were painted red, blue, or black according to the owner's preference, making these houses quite distinctive. The windows were small, with diamond-shaped glass, similar to doors, hinged and opening outward. Tom's father lived in a small, dilapidated house in a dirty dead alley outside Pudding Lane, called the Dung Yard. The house was small and broken, leaning to one side, crowded with poor families. The Cantys lived in a room on the third floor. The father and mother had a shabby bed in the corner of the room, but Tom, his grandmother, and his two sisters, Bet and Nan, had no restrictions—they had the entire floor, and could sleep wherever they wanted. There were a couple of ragged blankets and bundles of old, dirty straw in the room, but these could hardly be called beds because they were haphazardly arranged. In the morning, they were kicked into a pile, and at night, some were picked out to use. Bet and Nan were both fifteen years old—they were twin sisters. They were kind-hearted girls, but dirty and poorly dressed, with no knowledge. Their mother was the same. However, their father and grandmother were demons. Whenever possible, they were always drunk: then they fought with each other or with anyone they met. Whether drunk or sober, they always cursed. John Canty was a thief, and his mother was a beggar. They taught the children to beg but couldn't make them thieves. Among the motley crew living in this house was a kind-hearted old priest who was different from the others. The King had made him homeless and given him only a small pension. He often pulled the children aside and quietly taught them proper behavior. Father Andrew also taught Tom some Latin and how to read and write. He could have taught the girls too, but they feared being mocked by their friends—if they had such a strange skill, their friends would not tolerate it. The Dung Yard was as chaotic as Canty's house. Drinking, mischief, and fighting were common there, every night, and almost until dawn. Head injuries were as common as hunger, but little Tom was not unhappy. He lived a hard life but was unaware of it. All the boys in the Dung Yard lived this way, so he thought life was normal and comfortable. When he went home empty-handed at night, he knew his father would first scold him and then beat him. After that, the terrible grandmother would come again and be even harsher. He also knew that his mother would sneak up to him in the middle of the night, giving him a little bit of bread crust or crumbs she had saved from her own hunger, regardless of the fact that his husband often severely beat her for this rebellious behavior. No, Tom had a good life, especially in the summer. He only needed to beg for food to survive, because the laws against begging were very strict, and the penalties were heavy. He could spend a lot of time listening to Father Andrew tell those fascinating old stories and legends—about giants and fairies, dwarfs and monsters, and enchanted castles with magnificent kings and princes. His mind gradually filled with these wonderful things. Many nights, when he lay in the dark on thin, smelly straw, tired and hungry, with the sting of the whip still fresh, he would let his imagination run wild, forgetting the pain, and vividly picture himself as a beloved prince living comfortably in a palace. A desire lingered in his mind day and night: he wanted to see a real prince with his own eyes. He once shared this wish with a few of his friends in the Dung Yard, but they cruelly mocked and teased him, so he preferred to keep this dream in his heart from then on. P2-3