Welcome to American Lit II. This is the course blog. I’ll be adding comments, observations, and questions and will invite you to respond with your comments (for credit, of course).
Welcome to American Lit II. This is the course blog. I’ll be adding comments, observations, and questions and will invite you to respond with your comments (for credit, of course).
January 23, 2008 at 5:49 am
I actually started this book thinking I was going to hate it, but it’s got a sense of humor I can enjoy. The way Huck and Jim exchange conversation in kind of a silly but heartfelt way is charming. There is a part where Jim thinks that Huck has gotten lost, and then Huck returns and Jim feels like Huck is making a fool out of him. I don’t think Huck was intentionally trying to hurt his feelings but he sort of proved Jim wrong and Jim goes on about how he was almost in tears and ready to kiss Huck’s feet for returning. Jim then goes into the wigwam leaving Huck feeling really bad for hurting Jim’s feelings. He says “It made me feel so mean I could almost kissed his foot to get him to take it back”. I suppose the way the older man Jim, is so sensitive compared to the younger Huck is endearing. Especially since they are supposed to be so different as far as social class and in a sense not supposed to be relating to each other on an emotional level.
January 23, 2008 at 11:09 pm
When I first began reading Huck Finn I was a little put off by the opening. I dont want an author to tell me that the book has no plot or point, etc..I did enjoy the beginning of the book but around the time Twain took his break so did I. I feel like the ending is just going nowhere and Twain is taking a long time to make things happen. However, I can see why this novel would be considered in the anthology though. Huck Finn deals with some vary interesting aspects and always makes the audience think regardless of the decade one read the book.
January 24, 2008 at 1:49 am
When I started reading this book, I thought I wouldn’t like it at all. I was also a little put off that Twain writes we should not take this book too seriously or try to get anything out of it. That is usually one of my favorite things to do while reading. I think it gets a little slow and I feel like the story isn’t really going anywhere at the point I am in the story. Huck and Jim have been on the river for a long time…and it kind of feels like the same things are happening. Other than that, the only thing I have a problem with in the story is Jim’s speach. I find it difficult to understand what he is trying to say. I do appreciate Twain’s realistic writing, though. It’s interesting to read something that is written in the normal speech of the time period.
January 24, 2008 at 9:47 pm
I’m surprised that some were offput by Twain’s opening remarks to not find a motive, moral or plot in the novel. I thought the notice was hilarious. I don’t think Twain really believes that his book doesn’t have a plot or a motive. He just wants to make sure that people aren’t reading *too* much into, which, let’s face it, English people can sometimes do
I don’t know if anybody read the Fenimore Cooper’s Literary Offences, but I also enjoyed reading Twain’s clever sense of humor there. When I started it, I thought it was going to be this very serious, boring essay on a piece of literature, and it ended up literally causing me to laugh out loud. I particularly liked when Twain was talking about the “broken twig” phenomena in “Deerslayer.”
“Every time a Cooper person is in peril, and absolutely silence is worth four dollars a minute, he is sure to step on a dry twig. There may be a hundred handier things to step on, but that wouldn’t satisfy Cooper. Cooper requires him to turn out and find a dry twig; and if he can’t do it, go and borrow one. In fact, the Leather Stocking Series ought to have been called the Broken Twig series.”
Ha.
January 28, 2008 at 10:55 pm
It could easily be said that “the adv. of huck finn” has caused much controversy over the years. however, i feel that the group of people trying to ban this book from certain libraries and english courses should piss off. this book is an accurate portrayal of what this country (especially the south) used to be like and if people want to motion for the ban of this book, then they are radically conservative idiots who believe that in the 1800’s, America, was somewhat comparable to candy land. In the past, there has been turmoil and ignorance, however, the past cannot be erased or denied by simply taking away a piece of classical american literature. maybe these people should try to rid the world of modern ignorance instead of trying to rid the world of the past.
March 11, 2008 at 10:38 am
Though I agree that this book should not be removed from reading lists, I think the intentions of those who think it should are more focused on the foul language and mild violence. Also to be considered is the fact that the one black character in the book is portrayed very stereotypically and is easily fooled by a young white boy and two con artists. I think those who feel the book should be removed from required reading lists have fair points to be considered, though I personally disagree.