Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

Much has been written about the lives of great men. This is no less the case concerning the life of one of the greatest literary minds and writers, certainly in American literature, but perhaps all of literature. I refer to Mark Twain, who was given the famous compliment by Ernest Hemingway that, "All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Twain's creative mind and biting wit is on full display in his many novels, short stories and other writings. It isn't my intention here to reinvent some new perspective of viewing Twain and his writing. My simple question is "Where is the Twain of today?" To ask such a question assumes that there could be one. It would be a mountainous task to be sure. Perhaps it is an unfair question which thrusts writers into a preconceived expectation of creativity along a briary path through a wooded forest. I wait at the end of the path for the sage to appear. What is going on in the minds of those few who may dare to critique the world, while hoping that salvation will occur by a realization of what is best for us all? Are these men arrogant for thinking they know best? Do they claim to know best or is it an assumption some place on them who do not understand their clever art fully?

In the current literary world, I see no Twain. I see clever political writers, I see talented literary writers, but not a Mark Twain. From the Gilded Age to the Digital Age Mark Twain endures, he always will. The spirit of his intentions also lives. Many may disagree, but I think that on some level, however small it might be, that it is Jon Stewart that embodies a good deal of Twain. His comrade, Stephen Colbert, may even surpass Stewart at times with the depth of his ironic slander on a deserving wretch. However, Colbert's methods are to play the character. In their own way, both Colbert and Stewart use irony and wit in an attempt to expose the absurdity of reality. I feel, however that it is Stewart that gets the most credit for being "Twain-like." The rise of The Daily Show being viewed by young viewers as a source of information is a case in point. "Mark Twain and Will Rogers are two obvious touchstones for what Jon Stewart is doing with 'The Daily Show,' " said author and TV historian David Bianculli, whose book "Dangerously Funny: The Uncensored Story of 'The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour' " was published almost two years ago. "They used their voices to come at politicians in just the sort of way that Jon Stewart does--so well-informed, they're actually making better points than the politicians and pundits."

Additionally, Bill Moyers had this to say, "...Jon Stewart is the Mark Twain of our day. If Mark Twain were here today, he would not be writing these long tomes. He would be on Comedy Central, because the way to get across the truth today is to wrap it in the kind of humor that will go down the way Jon Stewart's humor goes down. So Jon Stewart on comedy is--by the way, the Pew Research Center recently pointed out that more people get their reliable news from fake news than they do from the evening newscast. And Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert were identified by the most informed people as their regular sources of information about the world. Interesting phenomenon."

Thank you to both Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert. Both, in your own way are carrying on Twain's spirit. Is it possible to have a "new" Mark Twain? Is the whole idea silly as it exposes our human tendency to make unrealistic and unnecessary comparisons? I don't pretend to know the answers, but if there is a writer in our future that can write like Twain, I will be reading.