A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

By: Mark Twain

Narrated by: William Dufris

Length: 11 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court is both a whimsical fantasy and a social satire chock-full of brilliant Twainisms. Hank Morgan, a 19th-century American - a Connecticut Yankee - by a stroke of fate is sent back into time to sixth-century England and ends up in Camelot and King Arthur's Court. Although of average intelligence, he finds himself with knowledge beyond any of those in the sixth century, and he uses it to become the king's right-hand man and to challenge Merlin as the court magician. Astounded at the way of life in Camelot, Hank does the only thing he can think of to do: change them. In his attempt to civilize medieval Camelot, he experiences many challenges and misadventures.

Public Domain (P)2010 Tantor

A timeless story

It has been over 50 years since I first read this book. This recording and the outstanding narration has brought me the pleasure of it again.

Speaker very hard to understand

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

NO. Speaker was very hard to understand. It got to the point where I gave up due to having to rewind so many times.

Mark Twain still resonates today

Would you consider the audio edition of A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court to be better than the print version?

The audio version allowed me to listen to a story that I read many years ago in high school. I would not have had the time to read it, but listening to it while exercising was fantastic.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

There were a few times when the description of something dragged on a bit too long, but otherwise it was a great story.

What does William Dufris bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voice inflection, nice to listen to.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way, it was a very long book. But I listened to it over the course of a week to 10 days.

Twain vs. Everything Un-American

Mark Twain's rapier wit vs. the ills of the un-American world both past and present in the guise of Medieval England. Representing the case for all things un-American is King Arthur himself as characterized in Sir Thomas Malory's La Morte d'Arthur. It's no spoiler to say that Arthur's Camelot is well and truly skewered at every conceivable turn.

One of the things great literature does is hold a mirror, both to the times in which it is written and to the times in which it is read. I went through this in the midst of the government shutdown of 2013, and it's fair to say that Twain points out pretty well exactly where the flaws in our own system have been exacerbated. I found myself laughing quite a bit, but there were more than a handful of uneasy chuckles as I realized how many of his words struck home in this day and age. You see, in 1889 when this was written, Britain was in the midst of its Victorian Age, and all that Imperialist expansionism implies. The US had barely left behind the Civil War a generation back, and the wounds were still fresh. Today, the US is feeling the economic and social repercussions of its own Imperial expansionism (even when we don't acknowledge it ourselves for what it is), so the double meaning through the mirror of modern times is rather apt and sobering. Social classes, slavery, unnecessarily complex language... it's all here, and so much more, fired at with both barrels in terms that only Twain could deliver. Chapter breaks only serve to allow him to reload.

William Dufris is an astounding narrator, coming across as though Twain himself were narrating this, mocking virtually every character encountered along the path. It's a performance you have to hear to believe.

Best book I have heard in a long time

Whata wonderful tale. I cant wait until my daughter is old enough to listen to it. Beautifully read.

Fantastic

Mark Twain is one of the best writers in american history. Taking this classic story and adding the voice talents of a master like William Dufris makes this into magic.

Classic Story-incredible narration

The reader made this story come alive with an impeccable reading. I have never heard better

Quite The Story

This is listed as one of my son's favorite books by his favorite author. The only books by Twain that I had read previous to this was about the lives of two boys living on the Mississippi. Because of my son, I decided to read this story.

I enjoyed this book. It did seem to drag in spots. It was an interesting point of view. Usually you try to make sure that time travelers don't upset the time - space continuum and in the end Twain didn't allow that to happen.

I read a review while in the middle of the book that described how the book was an attempt to show Twains views toward certain social injustices. I'm glad I didn't read that before I started. I feel that would have ruined things for me. All I wanted to do was to be entertained.

The performance was outstanding. In fact, the Chapter, Smallpox, was simply remarkable. For me it was one of the most gripping chapters I've ever come across.

A Classic Yarn

When you pick up a Twain you know you'll get a good yarn. This is no exception. This is another book I read in my youth. I remember it more fondly that it appears to me now. I guess this goes to prove that tastes change and, in that sense, they mature.
It's still a good yarn. Not as funny as I remember it to be and more tragic, too. The satire is classic Twain. The wit sharp and, at times, quite brutal. The attack on the Dixie South slavery and serfdom is caustic, for example. The attack on the monarchy (more visceral than mocking) and hereditary privilege is relentless and, I felt, overdone. Perhaps that is because I don't need to be convinced. Another example is Hank Morgan's (aka Twain's) disdain of the Catholic Church. Ironically, Twain's criticism is almost religious. Similarly, his zeal for universeral sufferage is fanatical.
Through it all, there is no mistaking Twain's message. It might be written through the conceit of a Yankee who is struck on the head in the 1890s and wakes up in the 7th Century, but the opinions are still controversial in the 21st Century.
Stangely, I found the message less palatable in 2012 than I did in the 1980s, although I agee with most of Twain's views. Generally, I found it a bit forced for my modern sensibility.
From a performance point of view, William Dufris delivers his customary skilled performance. I particularly liked his Twain and his Sandy. However, there are not enough characters to allow him to shine.
Overall, I'm not sure I should have re-read this book. My memory of it was better, but that's no reflection on the production values or the performance. As a first time read, I think it would have scored better.

Loved this novel

I loved this novel so much. It contained humor and I thought it was AWESOME. And don't think I'm this old lady reviewing, I'm 13 years old and I liked it. It wasn't boring. Totally recommend it.