The Prince and the Pauper was Mark Twain’s first attempt at historical fiction, published in Canada, 1881, and in America, 1882. Twain’s attempt was a marked success with the public and the critics. The story relates the experience of two boys from very different backgrounds, who, because of their identical physical resemblance, are able to exchange places. They then experience and respond to the kind of lives they otherwise never would have known. What energizes the Shakespearean twist is the fact that Tom Canty is a pauper and Prince Edward is the only son of Henry VIII and heir to the throne of England. The story takes place in 1547 London when the Tudors ruled and excesses at court and within the judicial system called out for reform and moderation. Prince Edward’s time with Canty family and its drunken, abusive father, informs the future king of the underside of London society, the stress of poverty, and the punitive system that executes, tortures, and maims in the name of justice. Tom’s experience is no less enlightening as he is called upon to mediate claims and then to take the reins of a grand and powerful kingdom. Of course, by the novel’s end all is set aright with characters returning to their prior stations, though with the well-deserved advancements gained through their respective experiences as a prince and as a pauper. (Summary by Michael Hogan)

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