The Prince and the Pauper

Dodo Collections present Mark Twain's 'The Prince and the Pauper'. Presented as a fantastic edition with a fully interactive table of contents.

The Prince and the Pauperis a novel by American authorMark Twain. It was first published in 1881 in Canada, before its 1882 publication in the United States. The novel represents Twain's first attempt athistorical fiction. Set in 1547, it tells the story of two young boys who are identical in appearance:Tom Canty, apauperwho lives with his abusive father in Offal Court offPudding LaneinLondon, andPrince Edward, son ofKing Henry VIII.

The Prince and the Pauper, seemingly a simple novel, handles several divergent themes and ideas simultaneously. Foremost is the basic idea of the exchange of roles and lines between the prince and the pauper and the constant reference to their twin fates. Prior to meeting each other, both boys have dreams of living the life of the other.

The Prince and the Pauper is Twain's most carefully plotted novel, but unlike Twain's greater novels (such as Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer), where there is a great deal of character development, in this novel the characters are scarcely developed at all; instead, they are used largely as pawns to move the plot forward. Therefore, the main emphasis of the novel is not on character; it is on Twain's ingenious plot devices.

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