A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court · Chapter
Endnotes explained
The chapter consists of brief endnotes by Mark Twain, acknowledging sources and modifications, including a note on borrowing from Morte d'Arthur and adapting details from Lecky's historical work for the tale.
What happens
The chapter consists of brief endnotes by Mark Twain, acknowledging sources and modifications, including a note on borrowing from Morte d'Arthur and adapting details from Lecky's historical work for the tale.
Key passages
“The story is borrowed, language and all, from the Morte d’Arthur . — M. T.”
Mark Twain states that the story, including its language, is taken from Malory's Morte d'Arthur.
Acknowledges direct borrowing from the Arthurian legend source.
“All the details concerning the hermits, in this chapter, are from Lecky—but greatly modified. This book not being a history but only a tale, the majority of the historian’s frank details were too strong for reproduction in it. —Editor”
The details about hermits come from historian Lecky but were heavily altered because the book is a fictional tale, not a history, and many of Lecky's explicit details were unsuitable.
Explains adaptation of historical material for fictional purposes.