Coffee, Tea & Classics

“Classic” books are classic for a reason – their literary excellence transcends passing fads, and they continue to engage readers generation after generation. If there are classics you have always meant to read “someday,” or if you read them in school before you were ready to appreciate them, now is the time to enjoy them with other adult readers.

Discussion groups will meet at 7:00 p.m. on the dates listed below. Anyone is welcome to attend any session, but advanced registration is required if you would like the library to reserve you a book. Contact the librarian to register.

2011  Selections:

February 14 – A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

April 10 – Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham

June 12 –  A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain

August 14  –  Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence

October 9 – Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

December 11 -  Howards End by E. M. Forster

Return to Phillipsburg Library home page

Next meeting: June 12, 2012

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

by Mark Twain

For everyone who thinks that classic books are dull and earnest, I have two words: Mark Twain. Booklist magazine says of this beloved tale: "Twain's satirical response to Malory's glorious tale is a fine antidote to the pretensions of many mediocre Arthurian sagas. In his wickedly funny and irreverent rendering, a nineteenth-century gun factory worker, Hank Morgan, is knocked unconscious, then comes to in England in 528. He is less than impressed."

The library owns multiple copies of the book, and it is also available as a free download from DigitalLibraryNJ.com (click on the "Additional E-Books Always Available" icon).

Discussion Questions

Although widely recognized as a satire, Twain wrote of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court that "the story isn't a satire peculiarly, it is more especially a contrast." What did Twain mean? Do you think the story is a satire?

Does Hank Morgan's view of Camelot ultimately soften Twain’s social criticism and make both easier to accept?

How does Hank Morgan use his technological knowledge to gain power? Does he use his power for the betterment of the people or for the glory of Hank Morgan? Why does he become more totalitarian as his power and conviction increase?

Twain wrote to the illustrator of the book, "This Yankee of mine . . . is a perfect ignoramus; he is boss of a machine shop, he can build a locomotive or a Colt's revolver, he can put up and run a telegraph line, but he's an ignoramus nevertheless." Why does Twain hold this opinion of Morgan? Do you agree?

Download complete list of questions