Christian Science

"The mind can do wonders, but it cannot do impossibilities." Mark Twain's first article on the subject of Christian Science was published in 1899, and in 1907, the author published it and several others he had written in the book Christian Science. While Twain was generally interested in the idea that the mind can influence the body, he was very critical of the movement and its founder, Mary Baker Eddy, and rejected her teachings as incomprehensible, illogical and self-serving. With trademark irony and a keen eye for human contradiction, Twain exposes the tensions between faith and physical reality, reason and belief. He questions the movement's denial of illness, its rejection of conventional medicine, and the extraordinary authority Eddy amassed within her church. Provocative, humorous, and unflinchingly direct, Christian Science stands as one of Twain's most daring examinations of American spirituality. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain (1835–1910), grew up along the banks of the Mississippi River, and his early experiences inspired many of his most famous works, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Widely celebrated as America's greatest humorist, Twain captured the spirit of a rapidly changing nation, and his sharp wit, keen eye for human nature, and gift for storytelling made him not only a beloved novelist but also a popular lecturer and essayist. Twain's innovative style, character-driven storytelling and ability to interweave humour with profound social critique laid the groundwork for modern American literature and has inspired countless authors, including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Indeed, Hemingway famously declared that "all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn."