On the Mississippi River

Author: Mark Twain [USA]
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-08-01
Features: Although "Life on the Mississippi" is generally considered one of Mark Twain's five travelogues, it is difficult to classify it as such. The first three chapters describe the history and geographical features of the Mississippi River, fitting the standard travelogue format. However, chapters four through seventeen are a seven-part serialization in "The Atlantic Monthly," depicting Mark Twain's life as a pilot from early 1858 to early 1859 and his gradual transition from innocence and romance to maturity and experience. But this is not strictly a memoir, as the "I" in the book is younger than the Mark Twain of that time. The latter half of the book also contains pure fiction (e.g., chapters 31 and 52). The advantage of this approach is that it allows Mark Twain to be free from the constraints of the novel form, making the work more lively and engaging.