Home » Reading & Literature » Classic American Literature » A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court

A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court

© BarbaraAnn Lyons

There is an intriguing story surrounding this novel. A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court is shrouded in mystery and controversy. This novel is Mark Twain's last serious work. At the time of its publication, Twain had considered it his last literary effort. This proved not to be true, as more writings followed, but it was a peak in his work which began in 1876 with The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer.

It was considered a "before its time" science fiction novel simply because it explored how 19th-century technology would have affected King Arthur's "Camelot" England. Hollywood portrayed the story in 1921 and there have been many updated productions since then. Illustrator Dan Beard used the faces of actual celebrities for his art including: Tennyson, Sarah Bernhardt, Jay Gould, Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales, and Kaiser Wilhelm. His own face was used for the portrait of a drunk.

Humorous journalist Charles Clark accused Twain of plagiarizing his story, The Fortunate Island, in which a professor comes upon an island housing a 6th-century civilization and attempts to bring them into modern times; Twain denied the charge in an 1890 interview in the New York World. My research of this article reveals a totally different scenario as Twain tells of an encounter in England with a stranger who turns the story over to him on the eve of his death.

Hank Morgan is the Connecticut Yankee. Following a serious head injury, he is transported back in time to England. The year is 528. The place is King Arthur's Camelot. For 10 years he is the "boss", befriending King Arthur and alienating the magician, Merlin. The story unfolds through the myriad experiences of Hank Morgan. He injects 19th-century American technology into 4th century England. He invents the telegraph, telephone, steamships and railways. The "boss" also establishes a secret West Point School. He teaches the young men fighting tactics and introduces them to new weapons including guns, dynamite and grenades. The West Point School becomes significant in this incredible experience of Hank Morgan.

He marries and has a baby. A civil war erupts when King Arthur learns of Sir Launcelot's affair with Lady Gueneviere. Arthur is slain in a battle with Mordred, his nephew. The church gains control of the country and Hank takes over rulership until a new government is set up. The church forms a huge army against Hank's heavily guarded fortress but are vanquished by Hank's modern warfare techniques and weapons.

The copyright of the article A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court in Classic American Literature is owned by Sarah White. Permission to republish A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.