Description

On the Decay of the Art of Lying is Mark Twain’s 1885 address to the Historical and Antiquarian Society of Hartford, Connecticut. In this witty piece of prose, Twain defends the rightful place of lying, which he declares to be “the fourth Grace, the tenth Muse, man’s best and surest friend.” Twain delivers a hilarious send-up of his very dignified cohorts and of American culture in general, skewering any and all who pride themselves on never telling lies. Manners and etiquette often disguise very different thoughts and emotions that most would never have the courage to voice out loud. But while lying has taken that place in our culture, Twain says it could actually be used for good. Rather than lying out of politeness, he suggests we might as well lie in order to protect and improve the lives of others. Only Mark Twain could suggest such a unique solution to this very widespread “problem” in society.

About the Author

Born Samuel Clemens, Mark Twain (1835-1910) was and is an American legend. A prolific journalist, essayist, and writer of short stories and novels, Twain had a unique gift for capturing and often laughing at the young American nation he knew. Growing up in Missouri, Twain spent his early years on the Mississippi River, which would figure prominently in the world of his later fiction. Twain worked as a riverboat pilot as a young man, but headed west when the Civil War broke out. His trip across the country and eventual years in Nevada and California became fodder for some of Twain's best works. Settling eventually in Connecticut, Twain enjoyed many fruitful years of writing, travel, and family life until he left the world, as he had vowed, with the return of Halley's Comet in 1910. Perhaps best known for his novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huck Finn, Twain is the author of many other works, including Life on the Mississippi, Letters From the Earth, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, and Innocents Abroad.

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Opening Lines (Experimental)

[Samuel Clemens]
ESSAY, FOR DISCUSSION, READ AT A MEETING OF THE HISTORICAL AND ANTIQUARIAN CLUB OF HARTFORD, AND OFFERED FOR THE THIRTY-DOLLAR PRIZE.[*]
[*] Did not take the prize.
Observe, I do not mean to suggest that the _custom_ of lying has suffered any decay or interruption--no, for the ...