Question

In one essay, this author included getting rid of “the re·parenthesis, the re-re·parenthesis, and the re-re-re-re-re-re·parentheses” among eight proposed reforms. Another essay by this author commands that “the personages in a tale shall be alive, except in the case of corpses” and the reader should “be able to tell the corpses from the others.” A character says, “She has gone to the kitchen” about a turnip and “It has gone (-5[1])to the opera” about a girl in an essay by this author that (10[1])poorly translates parts of (10[2])“Tale (10[1])of the Fishwife and Its Sad Fate.” An essay by him attacks another’s overuse of the trope (10[1])of people stepping on dry twigs (10[1])and other implausible (10[1])plot (10[1])events. (10[1])For 10 points, (10[1])name this author (10[1])of “The Awful (10[1])German (10[1])Language,” who criticized (10[1])purported (10[2])stylistic (10[1])errors in The Deerslayer (10[1])in his essay (-5[1])“Fenimore (10[1])Cooper’s Literary Offenses.” ■END■ (10[1]0[1])

ANSWER: Mark Twain [or Samuel Langhorne Clemens] (The essay in the second line is “A Simplified Alphabet.”)
<American Literature>
= Average correct buzz position

Summary

2025 ACF Nationals04/19/2025Y2195%0%10%115.75

Buzzes

PlayerTeamOpponentBuzz PositionValue
Eshan PantNYUChicago B69-5
Jakob MyersIndianaCornell B8210
Kevin WangGeorgia TechArizona State8610
Noah ChinVirginia TechNorthwestern8610
Anuttam RamjiUC Berkeley BStanford8710
Jem BurchYaleWUSTL A10410
Jonathan ShaufNorth Carolina ACornell A11010
Henry BonWinona StateMichigan11310
Conor ThompsonIowa StateMIT11410
Benjamin ChapmanToronto AWaterloo B11510
Charles YoungColumbia AToronto B11810
William GrogerColumbia BNorth Carolina B12110
Joel MilesMinnesotaWUSTL B12410
Thomas TibbettsUCFJohns Hopkins12510
Mitch McCullarPenn StateRutgers12810
John MarvinChicago ABritish Columbia12910
Bryce CruiseTexasUC Berkeley A12910
Colin VeeversOttawaVanderbilt13010
Cade ReinbergerRITVirginia13410
Albert Yingzhi NyangLSEHarvard137-5
Mattias EhatammWaterloo AMaryland13810
Alvin GuoChicago BNYU14210
Michael KearneyHarvardLSE1420