Professor of English at Indiana State University and the author of the literary biography Mark Twain: Man in White, Michael Shelden is the perfect candidate to lead this series of lectures on one of the most important—and most influential—of all American authors. From Twain’s early history through his landmark achievements and the defining moments of his extraordinary life, Shelden imparts a learned understanding of both the man and his astounding body of work.Lecture 1 The Boy and the Wilderness, 1835-1853
Lecture 2 Mastering the River, 1857-1861
Lecture 3 Becoming Mark Twain, 1861-1866
Lecture 4 A Literary Bonanza, 1867-1869
Lecture 5 The Gilded Age, 1869-1875
Lecture 6 The Poet of Childhood, 1876-1880
Lecture 7 Family Man, 1880-1883
Lecture 8 A River Runs Through It, 1884-1885
Lecture 9 The Wizard of Hartford, 1886-1890
Lecture 10 Going for Broke, 1891-1895
Lecture 11 Death and the Maiden, 1896-1899
Lecture 12 The Most Famous Man in America, 1900-1905
Lecture 13 Man in White, 1906-1907
Lecture 14 The Grand Farewell, 1908-1910