The Prince and the Pauper

"The Prince and the Pauper" by Mark Twain is a historical novel written in the late 19th century. The story revolves around two boys, Tom Canty, a poor pauper, and Edward Tudor, the Prince of Wales, whose lives become intertwined due to their striking resemblance and a series of events that lead to them switching places. In this narrative, Twain explores themes of class, identity, and the nature of royalty versus poverty, all while providing a critique of social injustices of his time. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to both main characters on the same day in London during the 16th century. Tom Canty is born into a impoverished family that does not want him, while Edward Tudor is born to a wealthy family, celebrated by the entire nation. The narrative quickly depicts Tom's harsh living conditions in Offal Court, where he struggles against his family's abusive nature, despite his dreams of a better life. Contrastingly, Edward is surrounded by luxury, yet remains oblivious to the joy that such privilege brings. As the story unfolds, the boys' deep yearning to experience each other’s worlds leads to a serendipitous meeting that sets the stage for their fateful swap, reshaping their lives forever in unexpected ways. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, known by the pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, and essayist. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has produced," with William Faulkner calling him "the father of American literature." Twain's novels include The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), with the latter often called the "Great American Novel." He also wrote A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1889) and Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894) and cowrote The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today (1873) with Charles Dudley Warner.