Talk:Mike Fink

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Why does "cher ami" point to Latin phrases? Rich J 13:40 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Sic is linked to Latin phrases (in case somebody is unsure of its meaning, I guess). -- Notheruser 13:44 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

But cher ami is clearly French and Fink would know French phrases. Rich J 13:53 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

According to the article, "cher ami" is grammatically incorrect in some way, hence the use of "sic." (which is a Latin phrase) -- Notheruser 13:58 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Cher ami is the masculine gender. The feminine gender would be chère amie. The source suggests that Fink's "dear friend" he's fighting over is another man. -- IHCOYC 15:51 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Heh, thanks for the clarification. -- Notheruser 16:14 14 Jun 2003 (UTC)

Then, there's the fact that Cajun French has not a few differences from European and/or Canadian French. I don't know specifically about this phrase, tho. Applejuicefool 20:37, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

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The last sentence of this article needs some justification. I don't think he is that "forgotten' in spite of not having a TV show. Maybe I'm biased since of course I'm aware of him or I wouldn't have built a link to this article. I learned about him (or a Disneyesqe version) in grade school. When I Google Mike Fink, at least 14 of the first 50 hits have to do with the legendary character.

And "least likeable" seems like the kind of subjectivity to be avoided in a reference work. -- Rich J 16:31 15 Jun 2003 (UTC)

I think you have to admit that Fink, while perhaps not entirely forgotten, definitely does not have the following that Paul Bunyan or even Casey Jones and Davy Crockett have today. Google them, and you will get many, many more relevant links; I tried. The part about being unlikeable is offered mostly as a partial explanation for his declining fame; he was, after all, a thug, a bully, and a thief with none of the outlaw glamour of a Jesse James or a Bonnie Parker. I understand that some subjective judgments are appropriate and inevitable in articles on cultural subjects. -- IHCOYC 18:49 15 Jun 2003 (UTC)

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Removed:

Fink is supposed to have described himself with this monologue: Whoo-oop! I'm the original iron-jawed, brass-mounted, copper-bellied corpse-maker from the wilds of Arkansas! Look at me! I'm the man they call Sudden Death and General Desolation! Sired by a hurricane, dam'd by an earthquake, half-brother to the cholera, nearly related to the smallpox on the mother's side! Cast your eye on me, gentlemen! And lay low and hold your breath, for I'm 'bout to turn myself loose! This traditional boast would appear to be at odds with the received lore that has him born in Pittsburgh.

While from what I've read of him it certainly sounds like the sort of thing he would have said, I find it doubtful that he used these exact words, unless they were later reprinted verbatim and uncredited in Mark Twain's Life on the Mississippi. ;) - Hephaestos 22:49, 26 Sep 2003 (UTC)

I read the same quotation recently and began wondering about it myself. -- Smerdis of Tlön 00:57, 27 Sep 2003 (UTC)

I think this article would benefit greatly from the return of the quotation, which does much to illustrate the character of the folkloric Mike Fink (a figure of much greater importance than the real-life person). It's that unbridled self-confidence that makes Fink a compelling character--I don't find him unlikable at all, myself. Nareek 03:08, 16 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Literature?

While I appreciate the Alvin Maker reference (I'm a Card fan), there are other works in which Mike Fink plays a role, notably Eudora Welty's The Robber Bridegroom. Would a list of "Mike Fink in Literature" be of value here? Applejuicefool 20:52, 2 November 2006 (UTC)

Doh! I didn't see the sentence BEFORE the Alvin stuff. My bad. Applejuicefool 20:54, 2 November 2006 (UTC)