What Is Man? and Other Essays
What Is Man? and Other Essays, published in 1917, collects the philosophical and occasional prose of Mark Twain's last years. The title piece, printed anonymously in 1906, is a dialogue in which an Old Man persuades a Young Man that the human being is a machine driven entirely by the desire for self-approval, with no free will and no personal merit. Around it are "The Death of Jean," written the day after his daughter died, "The Turning-Point of My Life," pieces on Howells, tobacco, bicycling and Wagner at Bayreuth, and the long skeptical essay "Is Shakespeare Dead?" The collection shows the dark determinism that lay beneath the humorist's public manner. 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays
What Is Man? and Other Essays 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays online?
Yes. What Is Man? and Other Essays 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays free to read on Vinteuil?
The first chapter of What Is Man? and Other Essays 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays in the public domain?
Yes. What Is Man? and Other Essays 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays?
About 6 h 18 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 What Is Man? and Other Essays?
What Is Man? and Other Essays by Mark Twain is filed under "Essays & Letters" in the Vinteuil library.
