The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson, published in 1894, is set in Dawson's Landing, a slaveholding town on the Missouri side of the Mississippi before the Civil War. Roxy, a slave who is one-sixteenth Black, switches her infant son with her master's child so that he will grow up free; the boy raised as Tom Driscoll becomes a gambler and thief, while the true heir grows up as the slave Chambers. The lawyer David Wilson, nicknamed Pudd'nhead for an unlucky joke on his first day in town, has a hobby of collecting fingerprints, and it is these that finally expose a murder. Mark Twain's humor here is bitter, and the book is one of his hardest looks at race and inheritance. The full text is available to read online in your browser on Vinteuil, and the first chapter is free.
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Frequently asked questions about The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain can be read online on Vinteuil, directly in your browser. The first chapter is free for everyone; the complete book is included in Vinteuil Reading ($4.99/month or $39.99/year) or yours forever for $2.99.
Can I read The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson online?
Yes. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson opens right on this page, in a reader designed for long reading: adjustable text size, light, sepia and dark themes, a clickable table of contents and your place saved when you are signed in. No download or app is needed.
Is The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson is free, without an account. To read the whole book, either buy its online reading for $2.99 (£2.99 in the UK) and keep it forever, or subscribe to Vinteuil Reading for $4.99/month (£4.99/month in the UK) or $39.99/year, with 1 month free for new subscribers. The subscription opens every book in the library and can be cancelled at any time.
Is The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson in the public domain?
Yes. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain is a public-domain work. Vinteuil offers a carefully prepared digital edition made for comfortable reading on screen.
How long does it take to read The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson?
About 3 h 32 min of reading, at an average reading pace. Your place is saved automatically when you are signed in, so you can read in several sittings and on several devices.
What kind of book is The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson?
The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain is filed under "Fiction" in the Vinteuil library.
