The Prince and the Pauper

A historical novel by Mark Twain, published in 1881, about Edward, Prince of Wales, and Tom Canty, a poor Londoner who exchange clothes and identities.

Edward VI: King of England from 1547 to 1553, born the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour. The novel’s Edward is the young prince who briefly experiences life outside the royal court.
Mark Twain: The pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemens, an American writer known for novels, essays, and travel writing. Twain wrote the novel and used its historical setting to examine contemporary social divisions.
Hertford: A powerful nobleman and Edward’s uncle in Mark Twain’s The Prince and the Pauper. He recognizes Edward and works to restore him to the throne.
The Prince and the Pauper (1937 film): A 1937 film adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel, starring Errol Flynn and the Mauch twins. It presents the story as a Hollywood adventure built around identical-looking boys.
Poverty in literature: The representation of material deprivation and its effects in literary works. Tom’s life lets the novel depict hunger, insecurity, and punishment beyond the palace.
Tom Canty: A poor boy from Offal Court in Mark Twain’s novel The Prince and the Pauper. His accidental rise to the throne makes the exchange of identities visible from below.
Tudor period: The period of English history from 1485 to 1603, when the Tudor dynasty ruled. The novel places its fictional events in the Tudor court of Edward VI.
Miles Hendon: A fictional English nobleman who protects Edward during his wanderings in the novel. His loyalty to the displaced prince persists even when Edward cannot prove who he is.
The Prince and the Pauper (1977 film): A 1977 film adaptation of Mark Twain’s novel directed by Richard Fleischer. Its screen version emphasizes the contrast between palace life and London poverty.
Social mobility: Movement between positions in a society’s system of social or economic status. The boys’ temporary change of rank dramatizes how rarely status shifts in their world.

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