Book contents
- Mark Twain in Context
- Mark Twain in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part ILife
- Part IILiterary Contexts
- Part IIIHistorical and Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 15Politics
- Chapter 16Business and Economics
- Chapter 17Religion
- Chapter 18Science and Technology
- Chapter 19Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 20Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 21Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 22Cosmopolitanism
- Chapter 23Gender Issues
- Chapter 24Gender Issues
- Chapter 25History
- Chapter 26Animals and Animal Rights
- Chapter 27Nationalism and Anti-Imperialism
- Chapter 28Philosophy
- Part IVReception and Criticism
- Part VHistorical, Creative, and Cultural Legacies
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
Chapter 17 - Religion
from Part III - Historical and Cultural Contexts
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 December 2019
Edited by
Book contents
- Mark Twain in Context
- Mark Twain in Context
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chronology
- Abbreviations
- Part ILife
- Part IILiterary Contexts
- Part IIIHistorical and Cultural Contexts
- Chapter 15Politics
- Chapter 16Business and Economics
- Chapter 17Religion
- Chapter 18Science and Technology
- Chapter 19Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 20Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 21Race and Ethnicity
- Chapter 22Cosmopolitanism
- Chapter 23Gender Issues
- Chapter 24Gender Issues
- Chapter 25History
- Chapter 26Animals and Animal Rights
- Chapter 27Nationalism and Anti-Imperialism
- Chapter 28Philosophy
- Part IVReception and Criticism
- Part VHistorical, Creative, and Cultural Legacies
- Further Reading
- Index
- References
Summary
Religion was a force throughout Twain’s lifetime, early on as the strict Calvinism inherited from his mother, and later as he rebelled against orthodoxy. His reading of Thomas Paine at an early age introduced him to religious skepticism, which challenged the beliefs he held as a child. Despite his skepticism, he was very close with a number of clergymen, most notably his family minister Joseph Twichell, who may be considered his closest adult friend. He vowed to reform and become a devout Christian in order to marry Olivia Langdon, but his “reform” ended after a year or so. In many of his works, he satirically exposes religious hypocrisy, and in his later unpublished writing, most notably Letters from the Earth (not published until 1962), he expresses doubt and scorn for conventional Christianity.
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- Mark Twain in Context , pp. 171 - 181Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2020
References
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