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The Adventures of Huck Finn. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain. It first published in the United States in 1885 .
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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was written by Mark Twain. It first published in the United States in 1885. • It was published during the Gilded Agewhich refers to the era of rapid economic and population growth in the United States during the post-Civil War and post-Reconstruction eras of the late 19th century. • The term "Gilded Age" was coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their book The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today. • The name refers to the process of gilding an object with a superficial layer of gold and is meant to make fun of ostentatious display while playing on the term "golden age." Huck Finn Introduction
He was the first major writer to: • use real American speech (and not only in dialogue) • deal with themes and topics that were important to Americans • assume that concerns of Americans were as worthy of serious treatment as British/ European concerns were. Why is Mark Twain a significant American writer?
His Beliefs: • Detested the hypocrisy of the world which insisted on the importance of conventional manners while ignoring inner corruption. • The dictates of conscience should take precedence over the dictates of society. • Twain glorifies the individual who escapes contamination by society. • Believes the peak period of nobility in a person’s life happens during youth. • Why do you think these beliefs are important to know? Why is Mark Twain a significant American writer?
It was 1st “real” American book: It departs from the Victorian, genteel English novel tradition. • Introduces American Regionalism – focuses on the characters, dialect, customs, and other features of a particular region. • Twain researched southwestern dialects for authenticity in his story. • Dialects develop when groups of people are separated from one another for long periods by geography or social barriers. • Is written in the vernacular. • Vernacular = the everyday spoken language of a particular locality/group, as distinguished from its formal, literary language. Why is Huck Finn a significant American novel?
Published in 1885; takes place in 1830s or 1840s. Civil War is in between, therefore… • He is writing about slavery, but after it has been abolished. • American audiences after the Civil War wanted realism, not romanticism. • After writing approximately half of the book, Twain returned to the Mississippi River in the early 1880s, and traveled down the river. • Was appalled by the post-Civil War era treatment of former slaves. • Second half of book takes on darker tone. Why is Huck Finn a significant American novel?
Huck Finn: child narrator, protagonist • Jim:runaway slave owned by Miss Watson • Miss Watson and Widow Douglas: the ladies who adopt Huck • Pap: Huck’s father • Mrs. Loftus: woman Huck “borrows” from Characters in Huck Finn
Grangerfords and Shepersons: two feuding families (like the Hatfields and McCoys) • The Duke and the King:Two con artists Huck and Jim meet on their journey • The Wilkes Family: • Peter Wilkes: A wealthy man who has died • Mary Jane, Julia, and Susan: Peter Wilkes’s daughters • Harvey and William Wilkes: Peter’s brother who live in England. Harvey is a preacher and William is deaf and dumb. Characters in Huck Finn
The story is set in the Mississippi River Valley along the Mississippi River. • The Mississippi River is an important symbol in this novel/film. • The river is the ultimate symbol of freedom for both Huck and Jim • The story begins in Hannibal, Missouri. • Huck and Jim visit Jackson Island. • Cairo: where the Mississippi River and the Ohio river meet Setting of the Film
Coming of age story: maturing and growing up • Satire of the post-Civil War American South • Satire: the use of humor, irony, or exaggeration to expose and criticize a person’s or society’s flaws • Allegory about religious hypocrisy • Allegory about good and evil in ordinary society • Allegory: an extended metaphor in which symbolic fictional figures and actions reveal certain truths or generalizations about human existence Themes Topics in Huck Finn