Christian Science

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 347K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Christian Science by Mark TwainAuthor: Twain, Mark, 1835-1910,Language: English, Class: BX: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: Churches, Church movements, Release Date: Sep 16, 2004

Editor's review

Written in Twain's later years, this polemical work criticizes Christian Science and its founder, Mary Baker Eddy, as the movement spread rapidly in America. Unlike his fiction's humor, here we see the essayist's sharpness and skepticism: he examines the doctrine and healing claims, questioning their logical basis and textual authority, with irony and persistent inquiry. Its value lies not in objective religious history but in showing how a public writer intervened in religious controversy with common sense, evidence, and satire, offering insight into nineteenth-century American intellectual debate and Twain's own thought. Read it as argument, not neutral overview, and note its argumentative and rhetorical strategies. Readers in religious studies, American literature, or public debate may compare it with historical background materials to see how committed critical writing advances between evidence and emotion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers studying Twain's thought and late writing
History enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century American religious controversy
Students of critical argument and satirical rhetoric
Religious studies readers seeking background on controversies around Christian Science

Not a good fit for

Readers wanting a neutral, systematic introduction to Christian Science
Readers averse to religious criticism and polemical tone
Readers who know only Twain's fiction and expect light humor

Reading tips

First learn the basic tenets of Christian Science and its historical context, then read the text.
Treat the book's claims as arguments; mark evidence and rhetorical devices as you read.
Cross-check with neutral religious histories to distinguish factual statements from satirical exaggeration.
Read chapter by chapter and take brief notes to trace the author's critique and argument order.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a novel or a polemical work?

It is a polemical work, not a novel. The author discusses Christian Science and its claims in an essayistic, critical manner, with a sharp and satirical tone, focusing on questioning and rebuttal rather than storytelling or neutral religious introduction.

Do I need to know about Christian Science before reading?

It helps to have some basic background, such as the movement's claims about illness and healing and the historical context of its spread in America. This makes it easier to understand what the author is rebutting and to distinguish background facts from the author's committed claims.

Is this book suitable as a religious history textbook?

Not really. It is strongly partisan and aims to criticize rather than provide an objective overview. For religious history study, read it alongside neutral academic sources, treating it as a historical document reflecting the controversies of its time and the author's personal views, not as a systematic textbook.

How difficult is the English original?

The text is in English, with long sentences and dense argumentation, involving religious terminology and the nineteenth-century American context, so it is challenging for non-native readers. It is advisable to read the introduction or background material first, proceed chapter by chapter, and use notes and a dictionary as needed.

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About the author

Twain, Mark, 1835-1910 Author

Mark Twain (1835–1910), born Samuel Clemens, was an American writer known for his humorous, satirical style and colloquial narration. The library holds 161 of his works, including Roughing It, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. His fiction often draws on life along the Mississippi River, depicting boyhood adventures and travel experiences in lively language, frequently using characters' voices to satirize social customs and human weaknesses. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, noted for its use of dialect and everyday speech, has had a lasting influence on the language style of later American literature. Public information is limited, so his biographical details are not elaborated here; the focus is on the subjects and writing features of his works.