Luck (short story)

Luck (short story)

"Luck" is an 1886 short story by Mark Twain which was first published in 1891 in Harper's Magazine. It was subsequently reprinted in 1892 in the anthology Merry Tales; the first British publication was in 1900, in the collection The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg. It is one of Twain's more neglected stories, and received little critical attention upon its publication. [cite web
title = Mark Twain on the Crimean War: Introduction
publisher = The Victorian Web
date = 2005-08-15
url = http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/beck/1.html
accessdate = 2007-07-28 ]

Plot summary

The story concerns a decorated English military hero, Lord Arthur Scoresby, a total idiot who triumphs in life through good luck. At the time of the Crimean War Scoresby is a captain. Despite his complete incompetence, everyone misinterprets his performance, taking his blunders for military genius, and his reputation is enhanced with every false step he makes. At the climax of the story, Scoresby mistakes his right hand for his left and leads a charge in the wrong direction, surprising a Russian force which panics and causes a retreat of the Russian army, thus securing an Allied victory.

Notes on the story

* The story is said by some to be based on a real person; Twain himself writes in a footnote to the story that it was not a "fancy sketch"; i.e., not a work of fancy or imagination. Twain had heard the story from his old friend and confidante Joseph Twichell (who appears in A Tramp Abroad as "Harris"), who was visited by a British chaplain who told him the tale of a famous general whose victories were entirely due to luck. However, Twain's footnote states that the story was related to him by an instructor at Woolwich Academy.
* The character of Scoresby bears some resemblance to George MacDonald Fraser's Flashman, a cowardly individual who ascends to high rank due to luck; it may have served as some small inspiration to Fraser.

References

External links

*Stephen Railton's [http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/railton/index2.html Mark Twain in His Times] project
* [http://marktwainmuseum.org Mark Twain Boyhood Home & Museum]

ee also

*Irresponsible Captain Tylor


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем решить контрольную работу

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Short story cycle — A short story cycle (sometimes referred to as a story sequence or composite novel)[1] is a collection of short stories in which the narratives are specifically composed and arranged with the goal of creating an enhanced or different experience… …   Wikipedia

  • Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story — As part of the Aurealis Awards, the Aurealis Award for Best Young Adult Short Story is given annually to the best young adult short story written in the science fiction, fantasy or horror genre by an Australian author.List of winners1995 No award …   Wikipedia

  • story — noun 1 account of events/people, true or invented ADJECTIVE ▪ true ▪ plausible ▪ false, made up ▪ She told the police a false story about being attacked. ▪ …   Collocations dictionary

  • story — I n. tale 1) to narrate, tell a story 2) to carry, circulate, print, run a story (all the newspapers carried the story about the fire) 3) to edit; rewrite; write a story 4) to concoct, fabricate, invent, make up a story 5) to change, revise;… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • story — sto|ry W2S2 [ˈsto:ri] n plural stories ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(for entertainment)¦ 2¦(news)¦ 3¦(events)¦ 4¦(excuse)¦ 5¦(history)¦ 6¦(building)¦ 7¦(of a film/play etc)¦ 8 it s the same story here …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • story — / stO:ri/ noun (C) 1 FOR ENTERTAINMENT a description of how something happened, that is intended to entertain people, and may be true or imaginary: the story of Cinderella | Don t be frightened, Connie it s only a story. (=it is imaginary) (+… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • Short Cuts — Infobox Film name =Short Cuts director =Robert Altman writer =Short stories: Raymond Carver Screenplay: Robert Altman Frank Barhydt starring =Fred Ward Andie MacDowell Bruce Davison Tim Robbins Julianne Moore producer =Cary Brokaw editing = Suzy… …   Wikipedia

  • Good Luck Charlie — Format Sitcom Created by Phil Baker Drew Vaupen …   Wikipedia

  • Nothing Serious (short stories) — 1st edition Nothing Serious is a collection of ten short stories by P. G. Wodehouse. It was first published in the United Kingdom on 21 July 1950 by Herbert Jenkins, London, and in the United States on 24 May 1951 by Doubleday Co., New York …   Wikipedia

  • The Luck of Roaring Camp — is a short story by American author Bret Harte. It was first published in the August 1868 issue of the Overland Monthly and helped push Harte to international prominence.The story is about the birth of a baby boy in a 19th century gold… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
… Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”