Abstract

This article investigates the convergence of literature and law in Connecticut Yankee as a reflection of Twain’s interest in debates about property that have played out across American history. Unfolding in three stages, the argument first looks at the importance of the word “usufruct” in American politics and philosophy of property; second, it explores the ways in which usufruct is a concept implicit in much of Hank Morgan’s Camelot improvement projects in Connecticut Yankee; and last, it delineates connections between this property concept and Twain’s ongoing concern about maintaining his copyright control over his literary property. In short, Twain’s use of “usufruct” is a gauge of his awareness that language gives structure to all aspects of society—especially economics—and that literature can reimagine that structure.

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