The Prince and the Pauper (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Mark Twain
- First Published: 1881
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social satire
- Time of Work: Sixteenth century
- Setting: England
- Principal Characters: Tom Canty, John Canty, Edward, Miles Hendon, Hugh Hendon, Hugo
- Genres: Long fiction, Social realism, Historical fiction, Satire
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Family or family life, Prisons, Mistaken or secret identity, Friendship, Poverty or poor people, England or English people, Robbery or robbers, Kings, queens, or royalty, Adventure, Sixteenth century, Wealth, Boys, Begging or beggars, Nobility, Princes or princesses, Impostors or imposture
- Locales: London, England
The Story:
Tom Canty and the Prince of Wales were born in London on the same day, the first unwanted and the second long awaited. While the prince, Edward Tudor, lay robed in silks, Tom Canty grew up in the filth of Offal Court. When he was still a small child, Tom’s father forced him to beg during the day, and he beat the boy at night. Gathering a ragtag court of street urchins around him, Tom often pretended that he was a prince. One day, hoping to see Prince Edward of England, he invaded the royal precincts, but when he tried to approach the prince he was cuffed by a guard...
[The entire page is 1822 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
See Also
