Life on the Mississippi
- Genre: Nonfiction; travel literature; memoir
- Originally Published: 1883
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 1030L; Grades 9-12; College/Adult
- Structure/Length: 60 chapters; approximately 384 pages; approximately 15 hours, 29 minutes on audio
- Central Concern: Life on the Mississippi is a memoir of Twain’s days as a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River before the American Civil War and a travel narrative when he revisits the river many years later. It provides a glimpse into the American South’s vibrant, often rough society, along with observations about the changes brought by industrialization and societal progress.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Race and cultural representations include bigoted language and racist slurs; depiction of violence and accidents related to steamboat piloting; enslavement
Mark Twain, Author
- Bio: Born 1835; died 1910; Samuel Clemens, known by his pen name Mark Twain; born and raised in Missouri; known for his wit and social criticism; one of the most celebrated humorists in American literature; worked as a typesetter, riverboat pilot, and miner before focusing on writing; his works often drew upon his diverse life experiences
- Other Works: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876); Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884); A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
- America’s Growth and Prosperity
- Knowledge and Education
- Maturity