A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court ****

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain extolls the virtues of 19^th-century Connecticut over sixth-century England. First, he presents the advantages of 19^th-century technology like guns and telephones. There is no contest here. He also attempts to replace the sixth-century feudal system and church with 19-century educational and political systems. Here the results are mixed.

 Mark Twain anticipates Arthur C Clarke’s third law: Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. The Yankee uses 19^th-century technology to defeat Merlin’s sixth-century magic.

 The Yankee brought 19^th-century technology to the sixth century. This included electrical generation, steam power, railroads, bicycles, telephone, telegraph, lightning rods, revolvers, Gatling guns, explosives, printing press, and newspapers. He also introduced factories, patents, public education, and universities. He brought modern finance including decimal money and fiat money (which was more like bitcoin than dollars).

 He also wanted to replace the feudal system and the Catholic Church with a republic and elected officials.

 He particularly disliked armor. When he wore armor, he complained about the heat, lack of flexibility, weight, the impossibility of scratching your nose, lack of pockets, etc. He defeated armored knights by dodging their weapons, with electric fences, a lasso, and a gun.

 A fun mixture of politics, humor, and fantasy

 Check out https://amazon.com/shop/influencer-20171115075 for book recommendations.