Coming Soon: Mark Twain's Thoughts on Russian Orthodoxy

[plani]

Baylor prof finishes off Twain 'Corn-Pone' essay*
By MIKE ANDERSON Tribune-Herald staff writer

Sunday, January 09, 2005

A Baylor University professor has uncovered what he believes is a previously unknown section of a Mark Twain essay.

Joe Fulton, an associate professor in American literature, says the six-page manuscript appears to be the ending of an essay published after Twain's death titled "Corn-Pone Opinions."

Twain said the article was about politics and religion, but the part about religion was missing. Now we have the ending as Twain intended it, including discussions of Russian Orthodoxy, Judaism and Protestantism."

An article on the discovery, including Fulton's revised version of the essay, will appear this spring in the journal, American Literary Realism.

[Mor Ephrem]

Bah! Just another Western heretic.

[Justin]

I, for one, think that Samuel Clemens was one of the finest minds ever produced by this nation.

[Joshua F]

And yet he had little regard for religion... have you read his blasphemous account of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? His talent for cynical reflection knew no limits.

[Justin]

I still think that he had a great many intelligent things to say, things that were and still are relevant concerning politics, society and culture. With respect to the society and era that he grew up with, you can't really blame him for choosing the direction of cynicism and skepticism that he did. Is it not possible to appreciate the thoughts of a man on one topic and disagree with his anecdotes concerning another? I think so.

[Joshua F]

Sure, just don't expect anything transcendently wise with regards to the aforementioned comments on Russian Orthodoxy.

[Justin]

I hadn't planned on it.