Book · 1889 · Time travel
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
- mentions
- 5
- people
- 2
- podcasts
- 3
- episodes
- 5
- recommendations
- 0
I love the uh we've referenced it before, but I I love the description Twain has in a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court because the Yankee is really interested in figuring out if Merlin can do actual magic.
The best things said about it
I would go for Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. He became like a court wizard um based on um his uh uh uh practical Yankee understanding of things like the almanac and the the pattern of solar eclipses. So, that's a good example of practical knowledge leading to a pretty great job.
It reminds me of um, since we quoted Mark Twain earlier, with a lie getting halfway around the world, let's go with a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. When the Yankee goes back in time and and sees Arthur and Guinevere uh, Merlin and the whole thing, he realizes he's like, 'Oh, Merlin is a freaking con artist.' But.
Where and when it comes up
Most mentions, by podcast
Why people recommend it
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court by Mark Twain is a classic satirical novel about a nineteenth-century American mechanic who travels back in time to Arthurian England and uses practical knowledge to pose as a powerful wizard. Ben Bowlin referenced the novel multiple times on Stuff They Don't Want You To Know, using Twain's descriptions of the protagonist trying to figure out if Merlin can perform actual magic as a clever parallel for analyzing modern conspiracy theorists and con artists who genuinely believe in their own fabricated illusions. Additionally, a host on The Jordan Harbinger Show brought up the time-travel narrative to illustrate how individuals starting as grifters can eventually morph into true believers. On Conversations with Tyler, Byron Auguste also cited Twain's work when asked for a compelling literary example of practical knowledge leading to success, pointing to how the protagonist leverages everyday understanding, such as solar eclipses and almanacs, to secure status as a court wizard.
Every mention
Ben Bowlin I love the uh we've referenced it before, but I I love the description Twain has in a Connecticut Yankee in… 3
Discussed
“It does feel like he believed it or maybe he was Merlin in Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. remember where the unnamed protagonist, the Yankee, sees some guy who thinks he's doing magic and has that moment where he says, "Holy crap, this guy actually Merlin actually believes that he can do spells."”
Discussed
“I love the uh we've referenced it before, but I I love the description Twain has in a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court because the Yankee is really interested in figuring out if Merlin can do actual magic”
Discussed
“Connecticut Yankee's a good uh example of that in fiction was that Twain yeah yeah that's Twain”
Byron Auguste I would go for Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. He became like a court wizard um bas… 1
Discussed
“I would go for Mark Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. He became like a court wizard um based on um his uh uh uh practical Yankee understanding of things like the almanac and the the pattern of solar eclipses. So, that's a good example of practical knowledge leading to a pretty great job.”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
Discussed
“It reminds me of um, since we quoted Mark Twain earlier, with a lie getting halfway around the world, let's go with a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. When the Yankee goes back in time and and sees Arthur and Guinevere uh, Merlin and the whole thing, he realizes he's like, 'Oh, Merlin is a freaking con artist.' But”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (10: passing, ad reads, own books)
Plugged
“Meanwhile, people don't have healthcare in other parts of Madagascar, but he's got this $58,000 or more scale model of Bethlehem in the living room to show to random dudes who don’t care; I’m just here to write a book.”
Plugged
“I assume he didn’t know the book was called 'Corruptible' and was about this.”
Plugged
“I sent copies of the book to the people who come out a bit better, and Mark Ravalo Manana did not receive a copy, so I don’t think he knows he’s in the book because his chief of staff, a super nice guy, just messaged me, saying, 'Happy New Year.'”
Plugged
“Or if you've got a bad system, let’s just talk about India and Denmark because this is the classic example from the book.”
Plugged
“It’s an elegant simplicity that I cite in the book; these researchers took economics.”
Plugged
“Maybe that's your next book; you can just reuse a bunch of stuff from this book because I will tell you the more that I see people, in let's say, a media industry, you see these people who start off wanting to talk about their ideals and things like that.”
Plugged
“This was one of the few things I really lamented while writing the book, as I was busy with the pandemic.”
Plugged
“One major argument I present in the book is that self-selection is central to the power dynamic.”
Plugged
“One of the best studies I came across looks at presidents versus runner-ups in elections over 17 countries for 200 years.”
Plugged
“One of the problems I talk about in the last third of the book is how to get people who abuse power to accept significantly more scrutiny.”