Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Samuel Langhorne Clemens “Mark Twain” is his pen name November 30, 1835-April 21, 1910 Hannibal, Missouri: Later the setting of Huck Finn Apprentice printer, writer, journalist, riverboat pilot Famous lecturer Recent publishing include “Twain maxims, quotations, sayings” and Autobiography (two parts)

Objectives Huck Finn: Background and legacy “Great American Novel” Setting vs. Context Controversy Use of the “N” word Author’s Purpose Why are we reading Huck Finn?

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Sometimes referred to as a sequel of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) Common misconception Similar characters, but Huck Finn is very much a serious novel More of a “spin off”

“The Great American Novel” Captures Spirit of the United States at the time of its writing Setting Character—Common, ordinary people Culture (its themes, concerns and conflicts) Voice

Setting vs. Context Setting: Huck Finn takes place in 1830-40’s Novel takes place pre-civil war Context: Huck Finn was published in 1885 Twain writes the novel post-war Why does Twain set his story in a time period other than his own? Why is Huck Finn set prior to the civil war? More than just “slavery” Emphasize race relations

Controversy Although Huck Finn is regarded as the Great American Novel, there is a lot of controversy Tops the list of Banned Books Result of the Language and Situations Derogatory slurs, vernacular, adult situations Major Question “Is Huck Finn appropriate”?

Use of the “N” word The result of writing in colloquial language Colloquial: is “natural” or common language We might consider some slang terms as colloquialisms

Author’s Purpose for the “N” word We know that Mark Twain supported abolitionists and the emancipation proclamation. So, why would Mark Twain use the “N” word in Huck Finn? Consider the “literary patterns” of Realism

Why are we reading Huck Finn? Quintessential to the study of American Literature Responsible for inspiring other major American authors Legacy alone Quintessential: Adj: Representing the most perfect or typical example of a quality or class

From a literary perspective… Illustrates transition from Romanticism to Realism Mark Twain is a Realist writer. Huck Finn has a Romantic setting and characters An extended text with cultural relevance Still being published, debated, (censured) and read today

Expectations for Huck Finn Objective: Discuss Author’s Craft/Purpose See Unit Overview Craft Point of View Characterization Setting (vs. Context) Structure Satire (social commentary) Purpose: What is Mark Twain’s purpose?