What was Twain's view on Canadian society? And, as a sidenote, my friend wants to know if ...*sigh*.. Colonel Sanders looks like him on purpose... (I already told him it's just the style of the time)...(he doesn't listen)
By: Anne-Marie at: 6th August, 2009
Status:
Answered
Answer:
Twain didn't really comment on the general state of Canadian society (the 19th Century presented a whole different set of questions about the relationship between the US and Canada, and Twain didn't add to the conversation on a general level). He was most often concerned that British and Canadian publishers (or British publishers with branch operations in Canada) would essentially steal his books. They would reprint his books in less expensive editions and then sell them without him getting any of the profits of those sales (this was also before any meaningful international copyright law, something that Twain very much supported and argued for during his life). The one way that he would try to anticipate problems was to have his books published in England (or in Canada) prior to their US publication. This would preserve some of his rights under law (for example, Huckleberry Finn is published in England in 1884 but in the US in early 1885).
About the Col. Sanders thing. I don't think that there is any real connection there. The white suit for Twain became both a way to be comfortable in the summer (he doesn't start wearing white suits full time until about 1904 or so) and later as an image maker. White was often the costume of the south because of its being cooler than the usual black or dark material in men's clothing.
I think that the hair (white) and mustache (Twain's was a lot bushier) were simple matters of individual taste...at least Twain had his for the greater part of his life. So I don't think that there is much to the comparison aside from the incidentals.