Which author was it who disparaged Mark Twain's writing?

I'm thinking it must have been James Patterson or John Grisham. Only one of the greats would have the gall, or the right, to critique Twain.

By clicking here, you can read several brief criticisms with citations of the sources . . . just in case you fail to find the slur upon which your heart was set.

Who the Hell is James Patterson?

Obviously you're not an intellectual.

BBB
Professor Barrett Wendell is probably the critic you are trying to recall.

BBB

Mark Twain pissed off a number of folks, including some writers, the most famous (then) being Cooper and Howells. Twain did a minute dissection
of Cooper's leatherstocking novels, pointing out errors of fact and logic. I don't know what the beef was with W.D. Howells, an early so-called realist. Both Howells and Cooper sold very well in their time, so Twain was hardly picking on the poor or defenseless.

Twain, because of his generally forward-thinking political views, irritated a few in the South (where he came from)--and elsewhere. But, by 1900, he was literally America's favorite curmudgeon, and his public loved to hear him snipe (often with great accuracy at deserving targets).

I can remember no telling negative remark about Twain's writing. Because Twain was such a sharp wit, he'd be difficult to attack without inviting well-pointed retribution. If someone can find such a remark about Twain, I'd be very interested in what it said--and who said it.

Hmmm...none of those names ring a bell to me regarding this. I think I must be going senile. Either that or the person who told me that is an idiot.

Thanks for the effort though.

Twain became quite vocal in his later years about religion. He minced no words in sharing his disgust and disdain for Christianity. That fact alone would earn him the hatred of many of his "peers".

Don't bet on senility yet. It sounds very plausible that he was the target of someone's wrath. That it's been difficult to find out exactly who gives me a bit of satisfaction.

Obviously you spend lots of time at Starbucks.

Lord knows you can't be an intellectual without knowing of James Patterson!

If by "Starbucks" you mean, "[your] mom's house," then yes, I do spend a lot of time there.

As a joke, Norman Mailer remarked that everything in Huckleberry Finn was obviously lifted from Hemingway.

The great intellectual is busting out 'your mom' jokes.

And what a poignant, scholarly observation that was.

By the way, I had a great time at "Starbucks" last night. The "coffee" was delicious.

Good day, sir.