By Mark Twain (1835–1910)

Question

In compliance with the request of a friend of mine, who wrote me from the East, I called on good-natured, garrulous old Simon Wheeler, and inquired after my friend’s friend, Leonidas W. Smiley, as requested to do, and I hereunto append the result. I have a lurking suspicion that Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth; and that my friend never knew such a personage; and that he only conjectured that if I asked old Wheeler about him, it would remind him of his infamous Jim Smiley, and he would go to work and bore me to death with some exasperating reminiscence of him as long and as tedious as it should be useless to me. If that was the design, it succeeded.
I found Simon Wheeler dozing comfortably by the bar-room stove of the dilapidated tavern in the decayed mining camp of Angel’s, and I noticed that he was fat and bald-headed, and had an expression of winning gentleness and simplicity upon his tranquil countenance. He roused up, and gave me good-day. I told him a friend had commissioned me to make some inquiries about a cherished companion of his boyhood named Leonidas W. Smiley—Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, a young minister of the Gospel, who he had heard was at one time a resident of Angel’s Camp. I added that if Mr. Wheeler could tell me anything about this Rev. Leonidas W. Smiley, I would feel under many obligations to him.
Simon Wheeler backed me into a corner and blockaded me there with his chair, and then sat down and reeled off the monotonous narrative which follows this paragraph. He never smiled, he never frowned, he never changed his voice from the gentle-flowing key to which he tuned his initial sentence, he never betrayed the slightest suspicion of enthusiasm; but all through the interminable narrative there ran a vein of impressive earnestness and sincerity, which showed me plainly that, so far from his imagining that there was anything ridiculous or funny about his story, he regarded it as a really important matter, and admired its two heroes as men of transcendent genius in finesse. I let him go on in his own way, and never interrupted him once.
“Rev. Leonidas W. H’m, Reverend Le—well, there was a feller here once by the name of Jim Smiley, in the winter of ’49—or may be it was the spring of ’50—I don’t recollect exactly, somehow, though what makes me think it was one or the other is because I remember the big flume warn’t finished when he first came to the camp; but any way, he was the curiousest man about always betting on anything that turned up you ever see, if he could get anybody to bet on the other side; and if he couldn’t he’d change sides. Any way that suited the other man would suit him—any way just so’s he got a bet, he was satisfied. But still he was lucky, uncommon lucky; he most always come out winner. He was always ready and laying for a chance; there couldn’t be no solit’ry thing mentioned but that feller’d offer to bet on it, and take any side you please, as I was just telling you. If there was a horse-race, you’d fiind him flush or you’d find him
Analyze the literary styles of Poe and Twain by comparing and contrasting their use of language to create precise, vivid images and convey details regarding character, setting, and plot.

Characterization: How we know what we know about the characters.
Direct characterization- explicitly told to us by the author.
Indirect characterization- things we learn about the character from what they do, say, think.
answer only using the paragraphs ahead

Answer 1

In comparing the literary styles of Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe, particularly in the provided excerpt from Twain's work, several key differences and similarities emerge in their use of language to create vivid images and convey character traits.

Characterization: Twain’s characterization of Simon Wheeler and Jim Smiley utilizes both direct and indirect methods. The narrator's tone establishes his impression of Wheeler as “good-natured” and “garrulous,” while Wheeler’s physical description—“fat and bald-headed,” with an expression of “winning gentleness and simplicity”—immediately gives readers a visual of the character. This direct characterization is complemented by Wheeler's behavior; he “backed me into a corner” and proceeded to share a long story, which characterizes him as someone who enjoys recounting tales, regardless of the listener's enthusiasm.

Conversely, Poe often employs a more indirect approach, building character through atmosphere and internal conflicts. While Poe's style is not represented in the provided text, his works typically reveal character traits through dark imagery, complex psychological states, and heightened emotions. For instance, in Poe's work, a character's madness might be shown through their fragmented thoughts or obsessive actions rather than overt physical descriptions.

Language and Imagery: Twain uses colloquial language and a conversational tone to create a vivid, relatable image of life in a mining camp. The use of informal expressions (“feller,” “garrulous old”) and humor (the implication that Leonidas W. Smiley is a myth) makes the narrative engaging and allows readers to visualize the camaraderie and quirks of the characters. Twain’s detailed anecdotes about Jim Smiley, coupled with phrases like “curiousest man about always betting,” create a lively picture of the character and his eccentricities.

In contrast, Poe’s use of language tends to be more formal and ornate, creating a heavy, suspenseful atmosphere. While the provided text from Twain lacks the dark and brooding quality characteristic of Poe's works, one can expect that in Poe's narratives, he would employ intricate descriptions and metaphors to evoke emotion and create an ominous setting. For instance, the shadows and sounds in a Poe story might enhance a character's sense of isolation or fear, deeply reflecting their internal struggles.

Setting: Twain's setting is depicted through the narrator's observations of the “dilapidated tavern” and “decayed mining camp,” which instantly conjures images of a bygone era filled with hopeful prospectors and their stories. The informal language and focus on everyday life evoke a sense of nostalgia and humor in the story.

While Poe's settings often serve as a character in their own right, cloaked in darkness and mystery, there is no representation of this style in the given Twain text. In Poe's works, settings such as “the House of Usher” are described with rich, atmospheric detail, contributing to the psychological intensity of the characters' experiences.

In summary, Twain's style leans towards rustic charm and humor with a focus on character-driven storytelling through vivid, colloquial language. In contrast, Poe's style is more formal and suffused with an eerie atmosphere that reveals characters through their turbulent inner lives and the psychologically charged settings they inhabit. Twain’s use of direct characterization combined with humor establishes a lively, engaging narrative, while Poe’s indirect characterization through atmosphere and emotion cultivates a deeper psychological exploration of his characters.