A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court


A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is an early example of a classic time-travel story. It recounts the tale of the Yankee Hank Morgan, a 19th century citizen of Hartford, Connecticut who is a skilled mechanic at an arms factory. He awakens to find himself transported back in time to early medieval England. Hank is ridiculed at King Arthur's Court and sentenced to burn at the stake. He fights back with his Yankee ingenuity, making considerable progress until he butts up against a larger force that ushers in some darker events. Mark Twain shows his artistry and cloaks a clever social satire in his highly engaging novel.

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is featured in our collection of 25 Great American Novels


Table of Contents

Preface

A Word of Explanation

The Stranger's History

Chapter I: Camelot

Chapter II: King Arthur's Court

Chapter III: Knights of the Table Round

Chapter IV: Sir Dinadan the Humorist

Chapter V: An Inspiration

Chapter VI: The Eclipse

Chapter VII: Merlin's Tower

Chapter VIII: The Boss

Chapter IX: The Tournament

Chapter X: Beginnings of Civilization

Chapter XI: The Yankee in Search of Adventures.

Chapter XII: Slow Torture

Chapter XIII: Freemen

Chapter XIV: "Defend Thee, Lord"

Chapter XV: Sandy's Tale

Chapter XVI: Morgan le Fay

Chapter XVII: A Royal Banquet

Chapter XVIII: In the Queen's Dungeons

Chapter XIX: Knight-Errantry as a Trade

Chapter XX: The Ogre's Castle

Chapter XXI: The Pilgrims

Chapter XXII: The Holy Fountain

Chapter XXIII: Restoration of the Fountain

Chapter XXIV: A Rival Magician

Chapter XXV: A Competitive Examination

Chapter XXVI: The First Newspaper

Chapter XXVII: The Yankee and the King Travel Incognito

Chapter XXVIII: Drilling the King

Chapter XXIX: The Smallpox Hut

Chapter XXX: The Tragedy of the Manor-House

Chapter XXXI: Marco

Chapter XXXII: Dowley's Humiliation

Chapter XXXIII: Sixth Century Political Economy

Chapter XXXIV: The Yankee and the King Sold as Slaves

Chapter XXXV: A Pitiful Incident

Chapter XXXVI: An Encounter in the Dark

Chapter XXXVII: An Awful Predicament

Chapter XXXVIII: Sir Launcelot and Knights to the Rescue

Chapter XXXIX: The Yankee's Fight with the Knights

Chapter XL: Three Years Later

Chapter XLI: The Interdict

Chapter XLII: War!

Chapter XLIII: The Battle of the Sand Belt

Chapter XLIV: A Postscript by Clarence

Final P.S. by M.T.

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