Mark Twain is a writer known for his prodigious wit and
precision of language. The stories he tells take on a performative vein,
conveying the effortless, seemingly extemporaneous nature of Twain’s
storytelling style. A deeply important factor of Twain’s writing revolves
around word choice and accuracy of language, as is mentioned in Twain’s “Reply
to the Editor of ‘The Art of Authorship’” – Twain states “Also he will notice
in the course of time, as his reading goes on, that the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – ‘tis
the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” This philosophy is
reflected a great deal in the examination of Twain’s works for diction. Often
utilizing dialectical language, Twain creates rich stories and cleverly crafted
humorous images for audiences to experience. This idea of experience is an
important one, for though Twain confronts accuracy of language in his letter,
this precision of words stands in stark contrast with the fabrications and
exaggerations of the content of his writings and performances. These elements
are subtly differentiated from one another in Twain’s writings. However, though
there exists a dichotomy between these ideas of precision and fabrication, the
two elements are codependent when it comes to cultivating Twain’s trademark
performative humor.
One
such story that gives itself to this examination is “The Story of the Old Ram”
from Roughing It. Twain begins the
story from the point of view of a young boy who is conspiring to be told a
story by old Jim Blaine – the diction in the beginning of the piece is
exceedingly proper and succinct, but there is a massive shift when the
inebriated Blaine takes over as storyteller. In place of precise language,
Blaine’s rambling run-ons and stream of consciousness style take over, pulling
audiences into the rich, yet often vulgar and ridiculous descriptions within. This
is accompanied by a deliberate shift into dialectical language, as is
experienced when Blaine begins to describe the woes of Miss Wagner’s
ill-fitting, borrowed glass eye. Blaine says “She was always dropping it out,
and turning up her old dead-light on the company empty, and making them
oncomfortable, becuz she never could tell when it hopped out,
being blind on that side, you see. So somebody would have to hunch her and say,
“Your game eye has fetched loose, Miss Wagner dear”–and then all of them would
have to sit and wait till she jammed it in again–wrong side before, as a
general thing, and green as a bird’s egg, being a bashful cretur and easy sot
back before company. But being wrong side before warn’t much difference,
anyway; becuz her own eye was sky-blue and the glass one was yaller on the
front side, so whichever way she turned it it didn’t match nohow.”
The
dialectical speech found within serves to reinforce the hilarity of the
situation being described –the vulgar, visceral description of the
less-than-perfect fit of her imitation organ brings forth uncomfortable yet
ridiculous amusement. Twain’s utilization of dialectical speech and precision
of language serves to elevate the performative aspects of his work in this
manner.
Image from: http://www.horntip.com/mp3/1960s/1962_1601_by_mark_twain__richard_dyer_bennett_(LP)/
