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No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger | Introduction

Mark Twain’s posthumously published story ‘‘No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger’’—a bizarre tale of supernatural and dreamlike events that take place at the dawn of the age of modern printing in Europe— is the last major work of fiction by one of the greatest American authors of the nineteenth century.

‘‘No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger’’ is narrated by August Feldner, a sixteen-year-old printer’s apprentice living in a remote Austrian village in the late fifteenth century. The print shop in which he works is located in a run-down old castle, which houses over a dozen people, including the print master, his family, and the various men who work in the shop, as well as a magician. August relates the magical events that occur in the castle after the arrival of a strange boy who says his name is ‘‘Number 44, New Series 864,962.’’ Twain’s central themes in this story include dreams and the imagination, as well as ideas, knowledge, and thought.

The publishing history of Twain’s ‘‘No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger,’’ subtitled ‘‘Being an Ancient Tale Found in a Jug, and Freely Translated from the Jug,’’ is almost as interesting as the story itself. In 1916, six years after his death, Twain’s editors published a story entitled ‘‘The Mysterious Stranger,’’ which they attributed to Twain’s authorship. However, it was discovered during the 1960s that the story as it was originally published had been significantly altered by the editors in a manner that was clearly not Twain’s intent. Thus, the story that passed for ‘‘The Mysterious Stranger’’ for over 50 years is now considered to be illegitimate. In 1969, the authoritative version of the story, ‘‘No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger,’’ based on Twain’s original manuscript, was published for the first time. The following entry is based on a reading of the latter version of the story, which will be referred to in shorthand as ‘‘The Mysterious Stranger.’’

No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger Summary

‘‘The Mysterious Stranger’’ is narrated by August Feldner, a sixteen-year-old printer’s apprentice. The events of the story take place in 1490, in the small village of Eseldorf, Austria.

August lives and works in a run-down old castle where the print shop is located. Heinrich Stein, a man in his mid-50s and the master of the print shop, is referred to throughout the story as ‘‘the master.’’ The master lives in the castle with his wife, Frau Stein, and her seventeen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Marie Vogel. The master’s sister, Frau Regen, and her seventeenyear- old daughter Marget Regen also live there. In addition to August, there are six other men who work in the print shop and live in the castle: Adam Binks, Gustav Fischer, Moses Haas, Hans Katzenyammer, Barty Langbein, and Ernest Wasserman. A magician by the name of Balthasar Hoffman lives in the castle as well.

One day, a boy of about sixteen or seventeen shows up at the castle, dressed in rags and begging for food. When he is asked his name, he tells them it is ‘‘Number 44, New Series 864,962.’’ On hearing this unusual name, most of the members of the household protest that he should be turned out. However, Katrina, the old cook, comes to his defense, and insists that he be taken in. The master agrees to allow Number 44 to work in the castle doing chores.

Soon, the master offers Number 44 a position as apprentice in the print shop. Most of the men working in the shop take an immediate disliking to Number 44, and do everything they can to overwork and humiliate him. August feels sympathy for Number 44, but knows that if he says anything in Number 44’s defense, he will be ostracized by the others. The inhabitants of the castle begin to believe that Number 44 has magical powers, and they assume that the magician, Balthasar, has given him these powers.

Eventually, August secretly befriends Number 44. Number 44 explains that, although Balthasar did give him some magic power, he already had magical powers before he arrived. Number 44 states that he wishes to promote the idea that his powers come from Balthasar, so as to bolster the magician’s reputation. Number 44 teaches August to make himself invisible. August also learns that Number 44 can read his thoughts.

The men who work in the print shop demand that Number 44 be turned out, but the master refuses to do so. Finally, they decide to go on strike until Number 44 is gotten rid of. The print shop is supposed to complete the publication of an order of Bibles, but the work cannot get done as long as the men are on strike. Upset by these events, the master becomes ill and takes to his bed.

In the midst of this crisis, the itinerant printer Doangivadam arrives at the castle. Upon learning of the situation, Doangivadam immediately takes sides with Number 44 against the other print shop workers. One night, they all go up to the shop and find that invisible workers are magically printing the Bibles. By... » Complete No. 44, The Mysterious Stranger Summary