Mark Twain and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
“All modern literature comes from Huck Finn”—Ernest Hemingway
Twain as a Realist Writer
Regionalism (see author’s “Explanatory” Note—)
“Local Color”— (The Mississippi Valley)
Twain as a Humorist
Satire (def.—the use of irony or sarcasm in exposing folly —)
Irony (i.e., honorable robbery—[Tom Sawyer’s Gang]; Huck is "wrong for doing the right thing [Huck doesn't turn Jim in--not accepted by society]
Twain as Social Critic
Historical Setting of Antebellum South (1840s): slavery—
Twain’s Contemporary South: Reconstruction and Jim Crowe Laws
Critical of Current Social Values—
Critical of Government—
Twain’s novel invokes a number of literary traditions. . .
Elements of domestic comedy and melodrama; comic burlesques of life in the deep South
Picaresque narrative (“picaro” meaning rascal or rogue); a narrative of clever rogues and adventures
Depicts lowlife of Mississippi River with the magic of romance
Character Types (Twain sets up the dichotomy of Romance vs. Realism)
Tom (Romantic)
Embodies what society values-- (trick on Jim)
Accepts values; lets cultural norms override common sense
Twain criticizes current values; makes Tom look “silly”
Huck (Realist)
Thinks for himself
Questions
“Real” Character
Jim
Used as a tool to demonstrate Huck’s internal battle—“snake bite” scene—