Barbara Snedecor, "Gilded Age Domestic Humor and Resilience in Olivia Clemens"

FULL TITLE: "'She is the best girl in all the world': Gilded Age Domestic Humor and Resilience in Olivia Clemens."
Olivia Langdon Clemens, affectionately called "gravity" by her suitor, Samuel Clemens, nevertheless possessed gentle humor and a resilient mindset. Drawing on excerpts from writings by Samuel and Olivia, this paper will explore three moments of domestic humor during the couple's Gilded Age courtship and marriage-first, during the early months of marriage, when teasing and banter were frequent; second, during their first decade of parenting, when humorous observations came easily; and finally, during the bankruptcy years, when Olivia, with bursts of optimism, eased the family’s struggle toward recovery from bankruptcy.
Barbara E. Snedecor served as director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies and as assistant professor of American Literature at Elmira College. In addition to editing the second edition of MARK TWAIN IN ELMIRA, she has contributed pieces to the MARK TWAIN ANNUAL and AMERICAN LITERARY REALISM and is the editor of GRAVITY: SELECTED LETTERS OF OLIVIA LANGDON CLEMENS (University of Missouri Press, 2023).