Introduction Seminar on The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Please take out note-taking materials. There will be a quiz.

Setting: St. Petersburg, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi River. Author: Mark Twain Country: United States The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Century of Setting and Publication: 19th Years of Setting: 1850s State: Missouri Year Published: 1885 Historical Era: Antebellum South Narration Point of View: First-person

Themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Racist attitudes towards black Americans The uncivilized actions of so-called civilization Does the best education takes place in school? The difficult experience of growing up and becoming an adult America’s coming of age story, learning how to deal with the problem of slavery Are we destined to follow in the footsteps of those who came before us? Religious beliefs vs. superstition Can you be free within society or do you have to leave civilization to be free? Can we overcome the prejudice instilled within us from our families?

Dialogue in The Adventures of Huck Finn Two terms to know: dialect and colloquialism. Portraying regional accent in text. Using slang words often not in a dictionary. Huck: “That ain’t no matter. It warn’t no time to be sentimentering," Jim: "I ain’ gwyne to len’ no mo’ money ’dout I see security. Boun’ to git yo’ money back a hund’d times, de preacher says! Ef I could git de ten cents back, I’d call it squah, en be glad er de chanst."

Genre 1: Bildungsroman - A growing up story, a coming of age tale Genre Analysis Genre 2: Picaresque - A story of a lovable rascal or scoundrel Genre 3: Realism - Portraying an accurate depiction of life Genre 4: Satire - Using humor to make serious points about society and politics So what is the genre of Huck Finn? It’s a satirical, realist, picaresque bildungsroman.

Sketch an outline of the river and the state names and borders

Bookmarks!

Try to find where the story is set…

Symbols in Huckleberry Finn River raft Wood saw The Mississippi River Thick fog

Symbols in Huckleberry Finn The limits of freedom Huck’s determination Freedom and all the problems it contains Moral ambiguity