Thursday, January 19, 2012
Mark Twain: The Original Roaster
Something that I found interesting when we were discussing Twain's Whittier Birthday Speech was the idea that this piece was basically an early appearance of a roast, before the tradition of roasting had even taken hold. The kinds of roasts that I'm familiar with are the ones that air on Comedy Central and feature personalities like Charlie Sheen and Pamela Anderson as roastees. The people being roasted are exactly the kind of people you would expect; they're over-the-top people whose actions are often viewed as vulgar, tasteless, or just stupid. From the roasts that I've seen, I'm surprised that the targets don't take more offense; the roasters pull no punches and go right for the jugular, but even if the roastee is offended (which they seldom seem to ever seriously be), they have their chance to get their shots in at the end. Perhaps it's because of the time period in which this speech took place, in addition to the reputations and demeanor of the "literary men" that appear in the story that it went over so poorly in comparison. These were eminent writers who were revered and respected, and for good reason, but something that also seems apparent given their reactions to Twain's anecdote is that they lack senses of humor. Twain's sharp wit and talent for satire was what made him a great writer, and even though his style differed from that of Longfellow, Emerson, and Holmes, I think they reacted in an unnecessarily harsh fashion. The speech was colorful, observant and clever, and if someone were to give such a speech today, I would be impressed. Twain had to be familiar with each of the poets to be able to create the kinds of caricatures that he did, which one would think would be flattering. There were self-deprecating elements to Twain's speech as well, and to hear that none of the men could appreciate the speech for what it was - an innocent, playful ribbing - casts them in a pompous, stuffy light that makes them seem not at all well-rounded and far less appealing.
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I enjoy thinking about that speech as the first roast as well. I agree that the fact the other literary men didn't find any humor in the speech makes them seem stuffy, I can see how they would be taken aback. Being at a benefit honoring them, I'm sure they expected to only hear their praises, and then Twain speaks. I can understand why they may be angry at the time, but after some duration and looking at the text of the speech, I would expect them to see the merit in Twain's words.
ReplyDeleteIt's true that they didn't seem to get the joke, or maybe they were just taken aback that Twain would dare to insult them (as they saw it) when they thought that they were being honored. It's a great example of what happens when the conventions of one form of ceremony or gathering interrupt another one,
ReplyDeleteI think to us the three may seem stuffy and they may very well have overreacted. However in the context of the time I think everyone was surprised by Twain's speech. In lecture we even saw that Twain was horrified with himself and how poorly his jest was received. In that respect I think the men were completely justified in their reaction.
ReplyDeleteThat it was the first roast made a big difference as well, and by all standards Twain was tame compared to the roasts of today that can be downright vulgar.