American often title Mark Twain as a business writer who is not only skillful in writing but also interested in making money。 After the outbreak of the Civil War and the Westward Movement, America has experienced a fast development in industry and mining industry。 Some gold ore, iron ore and oil are found in California and The Appalachian Mountain Region。 So gold- rush is prevailing in American society that people are crazy at founding gold ore to be millionaires within one night。 So does Mark Twain。 He investigates on stocks, applies for permit of mining and dreams to found the gold ore to satisfy his mother who hopes that her son tries to make money and does something practically useful to their physical lives。 However, he ends up all his investments with failure from which it can be concluded that a good writer may not also be a good businessman。 The special and unforgettable experience of this period of his early life helps him to build up the story of The Gilded Age。 

So fascinated and interesting is Mark Twain’s experience that his stories contain all aspects of American society and get much closer to the real society than other American writers。 As a writer he is undoubtedly an achiever。 Yet because of that, people may ignore his attainments as a social critic and an outstanding orator。 The reason why Mark Twain fosters great technique in humor may ascribe to his experience of giving speech to the public for a quite long period, which especially requires a sense of humor of the orator。

B。 The relationship among Mark Twain’s experience, The Gilded Age and American social reality

The “Gilded Age” was the epoch of tycoons。 Many Americans came to idealize these businessmen who amassed vast financial empires。 The story of the novel The Gilded Age just happened in this background。 Lord Hawkins spent most of his save to buy a sizeable chunk of land in the distant Tennessee。 However, it is because of the sizeable chunk of land in Tennessee that the offspring of Lord Hawkins don’t work hard and get money from their own hands but to spend their lives in finding a short cut to wealth。  And during the procedure of finding the short cut, his offspring together with many friends around them get to know and even join in the corrupt and dark businesses of money and power in American society in 19th century。 

For better or worse, business interests acquired significant influence over government。 And American people, living in a society with a more fluid class structure, enjoyed the risk and excitement of business enterprise, as well as the higher living standards and potential rewards of power and acclaim that business success brought。 Twain’s deep thought towards the society in so-called “golden age” according to what he sees and what he experiences in this age takes away the decorated mask and exposed it in the raw。

What shapes Twain’s specific literary language style to a large degree is generally ascribed to his creative mix of satiric and humorous story with serious and solemn social criticism。  Most of the existing humorous novel before 19th century, for whose laughable behavior and discourse people may burst into laughter but nothing more left to them, ceased at being funny and amusing。 The 19th century was marked by relentless capitalism, widespread corruption, vulgar tastes, and ostentatious displays of wealth。 American know-how seemed able to overcome any obstacle: industrial expansion brought prosperity for many and unimaginable wealth for a few。 Yet terrible poverty held most Americans firmly in its grasp。

Chapter 2   Analyzing Mark Twain’s technique of writing in the style of satire and humor

Being a wit, Mark Twain imparts much of his personal quality into his works。 And his experience as an orator gives him a lot of valuable materials of the direct and natural reaction of audience toward different kinds of linguistic skills。 Beside the specific linguistic matter concluded in his speech, Mark Twain’s humorous plotting and characterization, the professional skills of writers, also shines brilliantly in his treasure house of humor。文献综述