Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1)

Author - Mark Twain ... [Goo?] [Posters]
Barry Moser ... [Goo?] [Posters]
Shelley Fisher Fishkin ... [Goo?] [Posters]

This Hardcover Book item from University of California Press was reviewed on 26-Oct-2008.

Search ISBN:0520239792 offer from Abebooks or used books from Alibris. Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1) Reference Book. Classifications : American Literature Literature Humanities New & Used Textbooks Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books General AAS Literature Humanities New & Used Textbooks Custom Stores Specialty Stores Books General . Click the following link to view the cover of Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1).

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1) Hardcover Book Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1) by University of California Press. this is one of the greatest plays i have ever read/seen. i laughed so hard during act II that i almost could not continue. mark twain really hit something brilliant here and it is a shame it is not more well known. i am also a fan of humerous plays such as "the importance of being ernest" so if you like satire such as that, you will absolutely love this. also i greatly recommend seeing this at a playhouse if at all possible, it is spectactular on the stage!¤

2) Hardcover Book Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1) by University of California Press. I must preface my review with the truth that I am totally and hopelessly Twain obsessed. I won´t say that only a Twain lover will "get" this play but it certainly wouldn´t hurt! I enjoyed it immensely and laughed out loud many times. Theatre was one of Twain´s passions and he struggled all his life to write a successful play with variable results. This effort is delightful!
I found the interactions between the two couples sweet and touching and the comeraderie between the group of artists was good natured and engaging. But the best part was the gender reversal which was the funniest part of the play. It is amazing that Twain wrote this upbeat and optimistic piece as he was clawing his way out of a deep depression after his daughters death. The introduction and afterward are fascinating, both produced by the excellent and much appreciated Bancroft Library Mark Twain Project. I can´t wait to see what they publish next!!¤

3) Hardcover Book Is He Dead?: A Comedy in Three Acts (Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark Twain, 1) by University of California Press. The University of California Press is delighted to announce the new publication of this three-act play by one of America´s most important and well-loved writers. A highly entertaining comedy that has never appeared in print or on stage, Is He Dead? is finally available to the wide audience Mark Twain wished it to reach. Written in 1898 in Vienna as Twain emerged from one of the deepest depressions of his life, the play shows its author´s superb gift for humor operating at its most energetic. The text of Is He Dead?, based on the manuscript in the Mark Twain Papers, appears here together with an illuminating essay by renowned Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin and with Barry Moser´s original woodcut illustrations in a volume that will surely become a treasured addition to the Mark Twain legacy.
Richly intermingling elements of burlesque, farce, and social satire with a wry look at the world market in art, Is He Dead? centers on a group of poor artists in Barbizon, France, who stage the death of a friend to drive up the price of his paintings. In order to make this scheme succeed, the artists hatch some hilarious plots involving cross-dressing, a full-scale fake funeral, lovers´ deceptions, and much more.
Mark Twain was fascinated by the theater and made many attempts at playwriting, but this play is certainly his best. Is He Dead? may have been too "out there" for the Victorian 1890s, but today´s readers will thoroughly enjoy Mark Twain´s well-crafted dialogue, intriguing cast of characters, and above all, his characteristic ebullience and humor. In Shelley Fisher Fishkin´s estimation, it is "a champagne cocktail of a play--not too dry, not too sweet, with just the right amount of bubbles and buzz."¤

Page Updated: Robert N. Goolsby, 23-Nov-2008, 05202397929780520239791, 920-750-640-261-041-ZMB-0WB-8

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