Project Gutenberg 2004-09-19 Public domain in the USA. 1182 Twain, Mark 1835 1910 Clemens, Samuel Langhorne Twain, Mark (Samuel Clemens) How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays How to tell a story -- The wounded soldier -- The golden arm -- Mental telegraphy again -- The invalid's story. Produced by David Widger "How to Tell a Story, and Other Essays" by Mark Twain is a collection of essays and humorous tales written in the late 19th century. This book primarily explores the intricacies of storytelling, particularly focusing on the American humorous story and its unique characteristics compared to comic and witty storytelling from other cultures. It reflects Twain's observations and insights gained from years of experience with storytelling, providing readers with a blend of humor and valuable narrative techniques. The essays within this collection delve into various storytelling styles and techniques, highlighted by Twain's signature wit. The main essay, "How to Tell a Story," discusses the art of telling humorous stories, emphasizing the importance of the teller's delivery rather than the content itself. It contrasts humorous storytelling with comic and witty tales, illustrating his points with anecdotes, such as "The Wounded Soldier" and "The Golden Arm," which showcase the effectiveness of a slow, engaging buildup leading to a punchline. Other pieces in the collection, like "The Invalid's Story," further exemplify Twain's mastery of humor through irony and situational comedy, depicting the plight of a narrator who mistakes a box of rifles for a coffin and how his imagination spirals into an absurd series of events. Overall, the collection serves as both an exploration of storytelling and a delightful showcase of Twain's literary prowess, charming readers with its humor and insight into the human experience. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Essays Short stories Storytelling PS Text Browsing: Humour Browsing: Literature Browsing: Teaching & Education 72572 72573 2024-10-02T07:19:42.133082 2023-10-02T06:46:51.958220 text/html text/html 71319 2021-01-27T09:41:38 text/html; charset=utf-8 25608 2021-01-27T09:41:38 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 103619 2024-10-02T07:19:47.543058 application/epub+zip 102396 2024-10-02T07:19:45.140061 application/epub+zip 94465 2024-10-02T07:19:43.971066 application/epub+zip 200656 2024-10-02T07:19:49.364039 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 191509 2024-10-02T07:19:46.845067 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 164632 2022-09-02T08:48:40.447879 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 60281 60274 2024-10-02T07:19:41.856072 2023-10-02T06:46:51.770222 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 60290 2021-01-08T17:47:16 text/plain; charset=utf-8 24139 2021-01-08T17:47:16 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 20484 2024-10-02T07:19:49.489030 application/rdf+xml 12823 2024-10-02T07:19:44.499076 image/jpeg 3018 2024-10-02T07:19:44.233061 image/jpeg 101559 2024-10-02T07:19:42.141075 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