1. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

2. 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)

3. 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?

4. 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”

5. “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

6. 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

7. 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”?

8. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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?