Title

Twain: ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’

Authors

Files

Description

A brief commentary prepared by Kara Getrost, PhD, Lecturer, English, on the following work:

Mark Twain
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
1884 and 1885; first British edition (1884) and first American edition (1885)

Comments

This volume, a sequel to the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, is considered one of the most significant works of the American literary tradition for its faithful but satirical depiction of the antebellum American South.

For Mark Twain, Huck’s voyage on a raft down the Mississippi River with Jim, a friend and escaped slave, came to represent the coming-of-age struggles of an adolescent America.

Critics have praised it for its realistic representation of regional dialect and criticized its coarse depiction of the American South; it’s been banned at times for its vulgar language and its treatment of race. Critics argue that the satirical representation of a racist society reveals the logical fallacies that underpin slavery; however, the moral transformation of Huck and the humanizing portrayal of Jim also send an anti-racist message. Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is an American masterpiece.

Permission Statement

This item and all others in the Imprints and Impressions collection are licensed for research, educational and private use. Proper attribution must be used when downloading or reproducing this content. If you wish to use the materials for other purposes, please contact University of Dayton Libraries to obtain permission: 937-229-4221.

Streaming Media

Contents of Streaming Media

Herbert Woodward Martin, professor emeritus of English, reads a selection.