In 1857, 22-year old Samuel Clemens, of Hannibal Missouri, took a riverboat ride on the Mississippi. He struck up a friendship with the pilot, a man named Bixby, who persuaded young Clemens to pursue a career as a river boat pilot. The job paid what was a princely salary for the time...$250 a month (equal to over $150,000 a year today)...and Samuel loved the work and was very good at it.
In OTL, of course, the outbreak of the Civil War disrupted river traffic, and Sam gave up his job as a pilot. Soon afterward he had his ill-fated stint as a Confederate militiaman, then headed west to pursue his fortune. But what if he had stuck it out in Missouri during the war, then returned to being a river boat pilot after the war? He never publishes any novels (indeed, never publishes anything except possibly a few humorous letters to the HANNIBAL JOURNAL), and he never becomes famous.
How might this affect the development of American literature and culture? Who would be the first to write the "Great American Novel" instead of Mark Twain? Would there be any other ripples from his change of career path? Clemens was an inventor, with several patents to his name, for example, and wrote on political subjects as well as his more well-known humorous works.
Discuss.
In OTL, of course, the outbreak of the Civil War disrupted river traffic, and Sam gave up his job as a pilot. Soon afterward he had his ill-fated stint as a Confederate militiaman, then headed west to pursue his fortune. But what if he had stuck it out in Missouri during the war, then returned to being a river boat pilot after the war? He never publishes any novels (indeed, never publishes anything except possibly a few humorous letters to the HANNIBAL JOURNAL), and he never becomes famous.
How might this affect the development of American literature and culture? Who would be the first to write the "Great American Novel" instead of Mark Twain? Would there be any other ripples from his change of career path? Clemens was an inventor, with several patents to his name, for example, and wrote on political subjects as well as his more well-known humorous works.
Discuss.