A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court review

Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court is a satire of adored medieval tales of knights in their shiny armour and the society structure that King Arthur had on his time.
The book is about a 19th century Yankee, who gets a nasty hit on his head and wakes up in King Arthur's England. By knowing a lot of that era, the man slowly becomes one of the most respected and feared man of England with his "magical" abilities.

Twain has created a story by which he makes the adored medieval time ridiculous by describing the laws and habits which were normal for that time. The problem of the book is its main character who I found quite repulsive at times. He considered himself being the best man of the country because he thought he was the smartest one with his massive modern day knowledge. And with that knowledge he thought he could change the whole society.

Twain's book differs from the ordinary "time travel" stories with the fact that the protagonist actually wants to change everything he encounters. He doesn't care about the consequences of his actions, he only thinks he's the gift to the country and acts like it.

Twain's narration is simple and quick to read and also quite funny - but only when the protagonist (as the narrator) doesn't get too preachy with his thoughts.

King Arthur himself falls behinds as not so important character, but despite that fact Twain's book is still one of the many stories of King Arthur and the knights of his round table, so I recommend this book to everyone who enjoys those tales.
/ [Caterin S.]

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