The Prince and the Pauper

Background

The plot is fictional, but you'll learn a lot about London life in the 16th century. The Prince Edward Tudor is a real character. His father, Henry VIII (the one with the six wives), died when Edward was only 9 years old, and so the child Edward became King Edward VI. Edward died at the age of 15, so he is not as famous today as his father or his sisters, Queen Mary of Scots (Bloody Mary) and Queen Elizabeth I.

Author

Mark Twain, whose real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens, was born in Florida (Missouri) on 30 November 1835. When his father died in 1847, the 12-year old boy had to leave school and started an apprenticeship as typesetter. Aged 17, he went to New York and to Philadelphia where he wrote his first travelogues.

On 21 April 1910 Mark Twain died in Redding (Connecticut).

Excerpts: Chapters I - III

1. The birth of the Prince and the Pauper
2. Tom's early life
3. Tom's meeting with the Prince

Exercises

→ Exercise on Reading Comprehension

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