Genre Fiction
![Mark Twain - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_mark_twain.jpg)
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (Norton Critical Editions)
This perennially popular Norton Critical Edition reprints for the first time the definitive Iowa-California text of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, complete with all original illustrations by Edward Windsor Kemble and John Harley. The text is accompanied by explanatory annotations.
"Contexts and Sources" provides readers with a rich selection of documents related to the historical background, language, composition, sale, reception, and newly discovered first half of the manuscript of Mark Twain's greatest work. Included are letters on the writing of the novel, excerpts from the author's autobiography, samples of bad poetry that inspired his satire (including an effort by young Sam Clemens himself), a section on the censorship of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by schools and libraries over a hundred-year period, and commentary by David Carkeet on dialects of the book and by Earl F. Briden on its "racist" illustrations. In addition, this section reprints the full texts of both "Sociable Jimmy," upon which is based the controversial theory that Huck speaks in a "black voice," and "A True Story, Repeated Word for Word As I Heard It," the first significant attempt by Mark Twain to capture the speech of an African American in print.
"Criticism" of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is divided into "Early Responses" (including the first negative review) and "Modern Views" by Victor A. Doyno, T. S. Eliot, Jane Smiley, David L. Smith, Shelley Fisher Fishkin (the "black voice" thesis), James R. Kincaid (a rebuttal of Fishkin), and David R. Sewell. Also included is Toni Morrison's moving personal "Introduction" to the troubling experience of reading and re-reading Mark Twain's masterpiece.
"A Chronology and Selected Bibliography" are also included.
"Contexts and Sources" provides readers with a rich selection of documents related to the historical background, language, composition, sale, reception, and newly discovered first half of the manuscript of Mark Twain's greatest work. Included are letters on the writing of the novel, excerpts from the author's autobiography, samples of bad poetry that inspired his satire (including an effort by young Sam Clemens himself), a section on the censorship of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by schools and libraries over a hundred-year period, and commentary by David Carkeet on dialects of the book and by Earl F. Briden on its "racist" illustrations. In addition, this section reprints the full texts of both "Sociable Jimmy," upon which is based the controversial theory that Huck speaks in a "black voice," and "A True Story, Repeated Word for Word As I Heard It," the first significant attempt by Mark Twain to capture the speech of an African American in print.
"Criticism" of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is divided into "Early Responses" (including the first negative review) and "Modern Views" by Victor A. Doyno, T. S. Eliot, Jane Smiley, David L. Smith, Shelley Fisher Fishkin (the "black voice" thesis), James R. Kincaid (a rebuttal of Fishkin), and David R. Sewell. Also included is Toni Morrison's moving personal "Introduction" to the troubling experience of reading and re-reading Mark Twain's masterpiece.
"A Chronology and Selected Bibliography" are also included.
Readers Top Reviews
leeThe GadflyJ. C. B
The authoritative Text and criticism of HUCKLEBERRY FINN is definitely a scholarly edition of this wonderful story. It arrived by the Amazon shipping deadline, there were quite a few underlinings and comments by the previous owner, and of course, it's Mark Twain at his best.
ProfZebSusan A Radtk
Had not read it in years. The first part is lyrically beautiful. My book group of old gray beards had a very lively discussion based upon it. The book is amazing. Written in the 1880s about the 1840s, it is a record of how bad things were. It is justly controversial, it always has been.
Praveen20s
I read this book for my American Literature I class back in the Spring of 2003 and we had to write a report about this novel. It is a little hard to follow, but once you understand the plot & the narrative it becomes as clear as mud. :) Probably going to reread this novel in my spare time almost 11 years later.
J. Murry MiddletonDK
The book is brilliant in its portrayal of the racist mindset--not just because of its liberal use of the n word, but because of Huck's inability to be transformed. Yes, once in a while he admits to Jim's humanity, but he consistently reverts to his familiar ways. I know critics like to see a lot in Huck's words "They're after us," but they say very little to prop up the argument that Huck bonds with Jim. Huck wants to use Jim for his own ends rather than really see Jim's emotions, intelligence, and cunning. I must admit that I just don't get Jim's devotion to Huck. After Huck abandons Jim for drowned, if he were a real character, he should have gone back north to Cairo and eventual freedom. I just can't believe that any runaway slave would hitch himself to the slave owning mentality of someone like Huck. Jim is a man who wants to be free, so he can free his wife and children. Why does he waste his time being the racist's vision of a noble slave who sticks with Huck. That just simply lacks verisimilitude. Ultimately I just lose faith in Twain. The book falls apart, Huck would rather align himself with Tom than with his conscience. And Twain wanted Kemble to be the illustrator (according to UVa's website). What up with that? Yes, it should be read along with the criticism on both sides. Maybe if Huck were alive today, he'd go on a rant in a comedy club, and we'd see him for what he is in grainy video instead of in this problematic novel.
