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


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