The Prince and the Pauper - Mark Twain
Would you climb the vertical if you have already seen the view from its top? Would you watch a movie if you knew the end? Would you read a book if you knew the story?
Well, I would. And hence I picked up this timeless classic by Samuel Clemens(Mark Twain). Although not many must have read the book, almost everyone is familiar with the tale. The reason being that its storyline has found refuge in a number of motion pictures and tele-series in both Hollywood and perhaps as a result in our beloved bollywood. It is worth noting how superbly this warrants the efficacy of movies over print(but lets leave that to another day).
Plot - About the story, it starts with a Tom Canty of a family of paupers living in agonizing circumstances and dreaming of aristocracy. As fate would have it he finds himself face to face with Prince Edward the son of King Henry and heir to the throne. The two boys decide to exchange their clothes just for fun and are surprised to see that it seems as if no change was made after switching. The rest of the story deals with how the two get confused for each other by all who knew either of them and how eventually Prince Edward returns to his rightful throne and justly rewards all who served him even when he was a pauper.
Fact - The reputation of the author of being an American ”humorist” has had a mild(if at all) affectation on the novel which is based in 15 century England, during the reign of King Henry the VIII. Prince and the Pauper was an attempt or rather an “unsuccessful attempt” by Mark Twain as termed by most at historical fiction and therefore remains the poor cousin of more appreciated novels like “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” and “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer”.
However, the book comprises of several incidents which are successful in creating pathos. The author has done well in bringing forth the aristocracy, autocracy and atrocities prevalent in 15th century England. The practices of witch branding, death penalty for stealing paltry amount or food and others have been intricately woven into the storyline. All accounts have been narrated with good flow and detailing which make you truly believe that the incidents actually occurred in the life of Prince Edward and other characters. In essence one could not possibly doubt Mark Twain as a storyteller but one would acknowledge that P&P is not one of his best works.
To read or not to read – All conversations are in archaic English which rather than accentuating the characters makes it a difficult read for an average reader. Although a delightful read the storyline is far from gripping and is rather helpless in titillating curiosity or interest(I.e. you feel like skipping the middle pages to reach the end). Lack of aphorisms(for which Mark Twain is famous) also doesn’t help the cause. Final word – If you pass it by you won’t miss much.
Quote/Line –(Surprisingly just 1 worth mentioning) - He felt like the man who went out to dance in the rainbow and got struck by lightening.