04928nam 2201033Ia 450 991082561160332120230617034533.01-282-77209-097866127720920-520-93989-110.1525/9780520939899(CKB)3390000000006980(EBL)837307(OCoLC)773565070(SSID)ssj0000438411(PQKBManifestationID)11321745(PQKBTitleCode)TC0000438411(PQKBWorkID)10452887(PQKB)10369147(MiAaPQ)EBC837307(DE-B1597)519603(DE-B1597)9780520939899(Au-PeEL)EBL837307(CaPaEBR)ebr10675840(CaONFJC)MIL277209(EXLCZ)99339000000000698020030414d2003 ub 0engurcn|||||||||txtccrIs he dead?[electronic resource] a comedy in three acts /Mark Twain ; edited with foreword, afterword, and notes by Shelley Fisher Fishkin ; text established by the Mark Twain Project, the Bancroft Library ; illustrations by Barry MoserBerkeley University of California Pressc20031 online resource (249 p.)Jumping frogsDescription based upon print version of record.0-520-23979-2 0-520-24833-3 Includes bibliographical references.Front matter --Contents --Illustrations --Foreword --Is He Dead? by Mark Twain --Afterword --Notes --AcknowledgmentsThe University of California Press is delighted to announce the new publication of this three-act play by one of America's most important and well-loved writers. A highly entertaining comedy that has never appeared in print or on stage, Is He Dead? is finally available to the wide audience Mark Twain wished it to reach. Written in 1898 in Vienna as Twain emerged from one of the deepest depressions of his life, the play shows its author's superb gift for humor operating at its most energetic. The text of Is He Dead?, based on the manuscript in the Mark Twain Papers, appears here together with an illuminating essay by renowned Mark Twain scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin and with Barry Moser's original woodcut illustrations in a volume that will surely become a treasured addition to the Mark Twain legacy. Richly intermingling elements of burlesque, farce, and social satire with a wry look at the world market in art, Is He Dead? centers on a group of poor artists in Barbizon, France, who stage the death of a friend to drive up the price of his paintings. In order to make this scheme succeed, the artists hatch some hilarious plots involving cross-dressing, a full-scale fake funeral, lovers' deceptions, and much more. Mark Twain was fascinated by the theater and made many attempts at playwriting, but this play is certainly his best. Is He Dead? may have been too "out there" for the Victorian 1890's, but today's readers will thoroughly enjoy Mark Twain's well-crafted dialogue, intriguing cast of characters, and above all, his characteristic ebullience and humor. In Shelley Fisher Fishkin's estimation, it is "a champagne cocktail of a play--not too dry, not too sweet, with just the right amount of bubbles and buzz."Jumping Frogs: Undiscovered, Rediscovered, and Celebrated Writings of Mark TwainArtistsDramaDeathDramaBarbizon (France)DramaComedies.gsafdamerica.american drama.american literature.american theater.art and literature.burlesque.comedy theater.comedy.deception.famous authors.farce.harebrained schemes.humor.humorists.illustrated.literary criticism.literary icons.live entertainment.manuscript.men and women.modern audiences.performing arts.playwrights.social commentary.social satire.stage play.theatrical productions.twain scholars.world market.ArtistsDeath812/.4Twain Mark1835-1910.27404Fishkin Shelley Fisher547913Bancroft Library.Mark Twain Project.MiAaPQMiAaPQMiAaPQBOOK9910825611603321Is he dead4071077UNINA