This very funny novel about a mischievous orphan boy deals with the escapades of youth, yet its underlying moral element gives it the frame and distinction of "art." Hemingway said that this book marked the beginning of American literature.
CliffsComplete combines the full original text of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with a helpful glossary and CliffsNotes-quality commentary into one volume. You will find:
A unique pedagogical approach that combines the complete original text with expert commentary following each chapter
A descriptive bibliography and historical background on the author, the times, and the work itself
An improved character map that graphically illustrates the relationships among the characters
Sidebar glossaries
Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.
Though some of the situations in Huckleberry Finn are funny in themselves (the cockeyed Shakespeare production in Chapter 21 leaps instantly to mind), this book's humor is found mostly in Huck's unique worldview and his way of expressing himself. Describing his brief sojourn with the Widow Douglas after she adopts him, Huck says: "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people." Underlying Twain's good humor is a dark subcurrent of Antebellum cruelty and injustice that makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a frequently funny book with a serious message.
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ADVENTURES OF HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain:
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a novel by Mark Twain, originally published in 1884. It is the sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Ernest Hemingway (and many others) called it the greatest American novel ever. Huck Finn picks up right where Tom Sawyer left off - Huck's abusive father appears to lay claim to Huck's fortune, so Huck fakes his own death and goes down the Mississippi River with Jim, the escaped slave. Much like Tom Sawyer, there's not a lot of plot going on here most of the time, and... more info
Well it made me a happy boy:
I was down in the dumps I was. Wonderin' when my Huck Finn would come, and wonderin' if it would be righ' on time. But it was, I tell you, it was.
Twain: From Great to Just Good:
"Ambivalence" is the word that comes to mind when discussing this, Twain's supposed masterpiece, and the term that also comes to mind when considering the state of race relations among the leading thinkers in our nation during most of its history. Twain published "Huckleberry Finn" past the halfway point in this time line, and it stands as a fascinating monument to how even "enlightened" leaders viewed the race question at the cusp of the 20th Century. Twain's work continues to be heralded for its... more info
Great book! When addressing controversy think of context.:
I can't say more on the plot because it's quite obvious what the plot is just from illustrations of the novel. But on the "controversial" aspect of the novel involving the excessive use of the N word, people have to think of the time period that Twain is writing about and when the novel was published.
The novel takes place in Missouri (a slave border state) in the 1830s. We use the term African-American or black now. Before that it was Afro-Americans, coloreds, Negr--s. The list goes on and on. The... more info
