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Pudd'nhead Wilson by Mark Twain
Mark Twain's darkly comic short classic set in the antebellum South stands as a literary condemnation of slavery and racial inequality.
This classic melodrama, infused with the author's unquenchable wit, takes up the tale of Roxy, a slave whose white skin rivals that of any of the white folks in town. On one and the same day, she and the master's wife give birth to sons who so closely resemble each other, that in a state of overwhelming fear of losing her precious babe, should either of them be "sold down the river," she switches them in the cradle. About the same time, a new young would-be lawyer, David Wilson, arrives in town, and is immediately cast by the townsfolk as a plain old fool, or pudd'nhead. With no law to practice, he develops some odd hobbies. One of these is taking fingerprints of everyone he comes in contact with, keeping meticulous records of them, and doing so more than once. Now he has taken fingerprints of both children, before and after the switch. Meanwhile the slave child grows up as the rich man's son, spoiled, arrogant, worthless, a gambler and a thief. The plot becomes complex especially when Italian twins arrive in town to the delight of all and become the twist, as Wilson defends them. Murder, theft, betrayal, and a final comeuppance round out a story full of the "n" word, because that's how people talked in the pre Civil War south. It's a mighty picture of what it was like to be a slave and a slave holder in that time and place.
Michael Prichard, by dint of his compelling, flexible voice, creates Twain's antebellum town, Dawson's Landing "on the Missouri side of the Mississippi" not all that far from St. Louis. Prichard has perfect pitch with all the voices, male and female, rich and poor, slave, free souls, and owners. He draws the listeners in and makes them willing to listen to a mighty dated and uncomfortable tale for modern ears. One enchantment is the recording of thoughts from Pudd'head Wilson's Calendar which precedes each chapter. Two examples: April 1. This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other 364. October 12: It was wonderful to find America, but it would have been more wonderful to miss it.
Twain, Mark. The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson. Read by Michael Prichard. 6 CDs. 6.5 hrs. Tantor Audio. 2009. 978-1-4001-0918-0. $30.99. vinyl binder; plot, author notes. Includes ebook.SA
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