Project Gutenberg 2000-12-01 Public domain in the USA. 200 Twain, Mark 1835 1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) Is Shakespeare Dead? From My Autobiography Transcribed from the 1909 Harper & Brothers edition by David Price. Proofing by Alan Ross, Ana Charlton and David "Is Shakespeare Dead?" by Mark Twain is a reflective and satirical treatise on the authorship of Shakespeare’s works, written during the early 20th century. In this work, Twain grapples with long-standing debates over who truly wrote the plays attributed to Shakespeare, questioning the historical record and delving into the inconsistencies surrounding the poet's life. The narrative combines Twain's autobiographical anecdotes with a sharp critique of literary pretensions and the human tendency to believe in grand claims without substantial evidence. The opening of the book introduces Twain's perspective on the elusive nature of historical truths, particularly regarding Shakespeare. He shares recollections of discussions with a passionate pilot named Ealer, who held firm beliefs about Shakespeare's authorship, which Twain initially supported. However, as the dialogue progresses, Twain's skepticism grows, leading him to adopt a more nuanced stance. He reflects on the contradictions in Shakespeare's background and the scant evidence of his literary genius, positing that the legendary figure may not have penned such profound works. This mix of humor and critique sets the stage for Twain's examination of the broader implications of literary legends and the nature of belief itself. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616 -- Authorship -- Baconian theory PR Text Browsing: History - General Browsing: Literature 156408 156265 2024-09-01T13:14:29.185125 2023-10-02T03:35:02.749790 text/html text/html 154796 2008-07-07T17:57:36 text/html 58313 2008-07-07T17:59:55 text/html application/zip 107177 2024-09-01T13:14:33.234087 application/epub+zip 107902 2024-09-01T13:14:30.500108 application/epub+zip 107903 2024-09-01T13:14:29.649097 application/epub+zip 233614 2024-09-01T13:14:35.455066 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 215880 2024-09-01T13:14:32.746071 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 225971 2022-09-02T04:03:31.946174 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 146379 146283 2024-09-01T13:14:28.892097 2023-10-02T03:35:02.481764 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 146128 2008-07-07T17:59:55 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 56495 2008-07-07T17:59:55 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 18071 2024-09-01T13:14:35.586056 application/rdf+xml 14433 2024-09-01T13:14:30.077104 image/jpeg 3692 2024-09-01T13:14:29.838091 image/jpeg 107241 2024-09-01T13:14:29.200103 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia