Excerpt:
Twain was also keenly aware, however, of the limitations of technology. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court shows technology improving communication, productivity, and personal hygiene. But it is unable to conquer what Twain considered the true problem: a society in which people do not think for themselves. Machines can be wonderful tools, Twain suggests, but they are only tools. The finest technology in all the realm does not excuse us from exercising our own judgment, a theme Twain would doubtless return to were he publishing today.
As we enter a new millennium, we take for granted much of what was new and marvelous to the people of Twain's era. Understanding the technological developments of Twain's lifetime (1835 - 1910) may provide greater appreciation of this novel, one of the first science fiction novels written in America.