The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson
Summary
Mark Twain's 1894 novel set in Dawson's Landing on the Mississippi. Two babies, one white and one the child of an enslaved woman, are swapped in the cradle. A lawyer with a fingerprint hobby is the only man who can untangle it. A dark satire of race and law. This book uses the racial and other slurs of its period as written; the Book Guide explains these words where they occur.
Written by Claude Sonnet 5.5, an AI assistant, from the text of the book.
Chapters (21)
- 1. Pudd'nhead Wins His Name
- 2. Driscoll Spares His Slaves
- 3. Roxy Plays a Shrewd Trick
- 4. The Ways of the Changelings
- 5. The Twins Thrill Dawson's Landing
- 6. Swimming in Glory
- 7. The Unknown Nymph
- 8. Marse Tom Tramples His Chance
- 9. Tom Practises Sycophancy
- 10. The Nymph Revealed
- 11. Pudd'nhead's Startling Discovery
- 12. The Shame of Judge Driscoll
- 13. Tom Stares at Ruin
- 14. Roxana Insists Upon Reform
- 15. The Robber Robbed
- 16. Sold Down the River
- 17. The Judge Utters Dire Prophecy
- 18. Roxana Commands
- 19. The Prophecy Realized
- 20. The Murderer Chuckles
- 21. Chapter 21