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How to Tell a Story and Other Essays

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How to Tell a Story and Other Essays

By: Mark Twain
Narrated by: Brian Troxell
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About this listen

American writer Samuel Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain, has given us some literary gems with Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn and his travel adventures in 19th-century Europe and to Australia and New Zealand. In How to Tell a Story and Other Essays, Twain discusses the telling of stories, rather than providing more stories. Humor, Twain says, is American while comic is English and witty is French. He follows this typically brilliant essay with examples of storytelling and some intriguing experiences of "mental telegraphy".

Public Domain (P)2012 Audible, Inc. Classics Drama & Plays United States World Witty Nonfiction

Editorial reviews

One of America's most renowned storytellers, Mark Twain was not stingy with sharing his techniques. In the audiobook How to Tell a Story and Other Essays, Twain delves primarily into how to tell humorous (as opposed to comic or witty) stories, that most difficult of narrative genres.

Voice talent Brian Troxell tells stories like "The Golden Arm" and "The Wounded Soldier" almost as successfully as Twain might have done, while simultaneously delivering Twain's instructions as he proceeds. In other words, Troxell both pauses and ensures that the listener notes the pauses. "The Golden Arm", which sounds like a campfire story supplemented with stage directions, is written in so-called Negro dialect, and is much easier to hear than to read.

What listeners say about How to Tell a Story and Other Essays

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Profile Image for Lee

Great reading of some entertaining texts

The narrator did a great job, I really enjoyed his reading of these essays. Mark Twain was a truly witty writer and these pieces are still entertaining so many years on.

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Profile Image for stefan staikou

this book is a scam

you will just waste your time and money buying this book. it does not tell you how to tell you a story.

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