| Author |
Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 |
| Title |
The Stolen White Elephant
|
| Note |
Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stolen_White_Elephant
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 71.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
|
| Credits |
Produced by David Widger
|
| Summary |
"The Stolen White Elephant" by Mark Twain is a humorous short story written during the late 19th century, specifically reflecting the style of the literary period characterized by social commentary and satire. This work centers around the absurdities of a detective investigation following the theft of a sacred white elephant from Siam, offering a comical yet critical look at both the detective genre and societal issues of the time. The narrative unfolds as the protagonist recounts the misadventures encountered in the pursuit of the stolen elephant, which becomes a chaotic series of miscommunications, misinterpretations, and bumbling efforts by a team of detectives led by the eccentric Inspector Blunt. As the investigation progresses, the elephant's insatiable appetite causes widespread destruction, leading to exaggerated and farcical outcomes that draw laughter while subtly critiquing the inefficiencies of the law enforcement system. Ultimately, despite the chaos and the associated costs, the story concludes with a twist, illustrating Twain’s mastery in combining humor with incisive social observation. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature
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| Subject |
Short stories
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| Subject |
Detective and mystery stories
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
3181 |
| Release Date |
Sep 16, 2004 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jan 27, 2021 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
530 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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