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Edition:	Simon & Schuster (Mass Market Paperback)
Author:	Mark Twain
Published:	May 2007
Pages:	480
ISBN 10:	1416534733
New:	$2.30 (34)
Used:	$0.37 (27)
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A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The work is a very early example of time travel in literature, anticipating by six years H.G. Wells The Time Machine of 1895 (however, unlike Wells, Twain does not give any real explanation of his protagonist's travelling in time). Some early editions are entitled A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur.

Plot

The Introduction to the "stranger"

The novel explains the tale of Hank Morgan, a 19th century citizen of Hartford, Connecticut who awakens to find himself inexplicably transported back in time to early medieval England at the time of the legendary King Arthur in AD 528.

The story itself begins in a first person narrative in Warwick Castle, where a man details his recollection of a tale told to him by a "curious stranger" who is personified as a Knight through his simple language and familiarity with ancient armor.

After a brief tale of Sir Launcelot of Camelot and his role in slaying two giants from the third-person narrative, a man named Hank Morgan enters and, after being given whiskey by the narrator, he is persuaded to reveal more of his story. Described through first-person narrative as a man familiar of the firearms and machinery trade, Hank is a man who had reached a level of superintendent due to his proficiency in firearms manufacturing, with two thousand subordinates. He describes the beginning of his tale by illustrating details of a disagreement with his subordinates, where he sustained a head injury from a "crusher" to the head caused by a man named "Hercules" using a crowbar. After passing out from the blow, Hank describes waking up underneath an oak tree in a rural area of Camelot where a Knight questions him for trespassing upon his land, and after establishing rapport, leads him towards Camelot castle.

Hank is ridiculed at King Arthur's court for his strange appearance and dress, and sentenced by King Arthur's court (and particularly by the magician Merlin) to burn at the stake. By a miraculous stroke of luck, the date of the burning coincides with a historical solar eclipse in the year 528, which Hank had learned about in his own time.

Of course, all Connecticut Yankees memorize the dates of eclipses, so Hank knew when an eclipse happens. Recalling this fact, Hank uses it to convince the King and commoners that he possesses great power, by making it seem that he causes the eclipse of the sun at the moment when he is about to be burned at the stake. Following this act, he is liberated and given the position of principal minister to the King, and treated by all with utmost fear and awe. His celebrity brings him to be known by a new title, elected by the people: "The Boss." Hank is seen as not as a man, but a being of strange and mysterious powers.

The Takeover

After being made "the Boss", Hank learns about medieval practices and superstitions. With his superior knowledge, he is able to outdo the fake sorcerers and miracle-working church officials. At one point, since people were hungry for more after the eclipse, he blew up Merlin's tower with a lightning rod and gunpowder during a storm, and despite Merlin's incantations, he couldn't prevent it, thus lessening Merlin's popularity and such. In another major "Miracle" of the book, Hank repairs a holy fountain simply, yet tricks it out with Greek fire and rockets. Merlin couldn't fix the fountain with his fake enchantments, of course, and said that the name of a certain demon had to be properly pronounced to let the waters flow, but to say the demon's name caused death. Hank, in order to seem more impressive, states that it was true and it would be difficult, but not impossible. At the end of several long gibberish phrases, he says "Bgwjjjiligggkkk" which Merlin thinks is the name. Despite that it was just a load of gibberish, Merlin says "The demon's mother couldn't have pronounced the name better". Consequently, Merlin spends 3 months of enchantments trying to learn how to outlive the name, but fails. This causes Merlin to become jealous of the sway Hank holds over the minds of others, as well as the power he wields as "the Boss". Despite being a high officer in court, Hank is willing to go among the people in order to promote new economic policies based on capitalism as well as democratic and modern principles, and simply learn about his subjects and what it was like to be one of them. King Arthur chooses to join him on one of these excursions, during which he chooses to expose himself to smallpox in order to help a peasant boy. Despite this kingly act, he is unwilling to move away from his medieval way of thinking. He eventually causes the arrest of the incognito Hank and himself because he is unable to stop acting like a nobleman. They are enslaved by a noble since they can't prove themselves freemen, and several interesting events happen. At one point after a fight broke out due to Hank, and all the slaves were sentenced to hanging, but Hank's plotting is able to free them when a group of bicycle-riding knights comes to their rescue.

The Interdict

Hank has married Sandy at this point, and they had a baby. During one of Hank's dreams, he says Hello-Central, and Sandy believes that the mystic phrase would be a good name for the baby, and names it accordingly. The Established Catholic Church sends servants to trick Hank into leaving overseas, leaving the kingdom in the hands of less intelligent persons. Eventually, King Arthur finds out that Guenever is cheating on him with Sir Launcelot. A war soon breaks out, with much bloodshed on all sides. The church then publishes "The Interdict" which causes all people to break away from Hank and revolt. Hank meets with Clarence, one of his long friends of the time period, who informs him of the war thus far. As time goes on, Clarence gathers 54 young cadets, from ages 14-17, who are to fight against all of England. A sand belt with dynamite is placed in a belt under the sand. Inside of the belt are twelve electrical wires, and in the center is a raised platform with 12 Gatling guns. The cadets say they don't want to face 'All of England' but Hank encourages them by saying they will only have to fight the 30,000 knights. The cadets laugh at the small amount, and easily win the battle. However, all the dead bodies create a disease, and trap all of them on the inside. Hank goes out to see if he can help any of the knights, and is stabbed in the side by a survivor. While not a serious wound, he is bedridden. During this time, Merlin sneaks into the lair in the guise of a woman, and starts thrashing about his arms. He then laughs and says that all the people there will die, except for Hank who will sleep for thirteen centuries. He then laughs deliriously and lays a hand on an electrical wire and immediately dies, frozen with that laugh on his face.

Anachronisms

Hank, as "the Boss", has been using his modern knowledge to industrialize the country behind the back of the rest of the ruling class. For this purpose, he set up schools which taught modern ideas and modern English, thereby removing the new generation from medieval concepts. He also caused the construction of factories, which produced modern tools and weapons. He also gets married to a girl who he saved from a couple of pig farmers. They have a daughter together. While on vacation with his family in France, he receives a message that King Arthur has died fighting his rebellious nephew Mordred (as in the original story). Hank establishes a republic and declares himself ruler, but the people revolt. The most harrowing section of the book describes the use of modern weapons such as gatling guns, dynamite and electric fences by Hank and his henchmen to annihilate an army of medieval knights. Merlin uses a spell to put Hank to sleep until he returns to his own time.

References

Wikipedia