The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Elements of a Novel
Ideas, Concepts, and Vocabulary
The “N” word within the novel
Elements of a Novel
Basic Structure of a Novel:
 Introduction
 Plot
 Conflict
 Conclusion/resolution
Elements of a Novel
Contributing Elements:
 Theme
 Narrator/point of view
 Characters/names
 Dialogue/dialect
 Symbolism, imagery, and metaphor
Ideas and Concepts of Huck
Finn
 Story is told in first person, with Huck as the
narrator.
 Twain used dialects of the times and wrote as if
Huck were actually speaking.
 The story takes place in the South PRIOR to
the Civil War. The country was divided into
slave and free states.
 Novel is episodic. The plot consists of
numerous events, each of which is very short
by itself.
Ideas and Concepts of Huck
Finn
 There are powerful contrasts found throughout
the novel. The most important being between
Huck and Tom and slavery and freedom.
 Note Huck’s basic goodness. He is willing to go
against society to help Jim.
 Irony is widely used within novel. Twain gives
the reader his opinion of people’s behavior
using irony.
Vocabulary—define on your own
time. Later you will check your
definitions for accuracy via a
Powerpoint presentation.
Aversion
Cynicism
Determinism
Ingenious
Parable
Transformation
Vocabulary
Regionalism- A feature, such as expression, a
pronunciation, or a custom that is characterisic
of a geographic area. *Example: Ya’ll—used in
Texas.*
Dialect- A regional variety of a language, differing
somewhat in pronunciation, grammar, or
vocabulary from other forms of the same
language. *Example: Huck Finn—told in the
dialect of the Mississippi valley before the Civil
War.*
Vocabulary
Realism- The representation in literature or art of
objects, actions, or social conditions as they
actually are.
Satire- A literary work in which human vice or folly
is attacked through irony, sarcasm, or wit.
Narrative Voice- A narrated account; a story.
Analogies- Similarity in some respects between
thing that are otherwise dissimilar. A
comparison based on such similarity.
The “N” word within the
novel
I have decided that we, as a class, will omit
reading this word out loud when we are
reading. Even so, we must understand the
implications of the word and where it came
from.
Nigger derives from the French negre, the
Spanish and Portuguese negro, and from the
Latin niger (black). In the U.S., “nigger” was first
regarded as a disparaging (belittling) term in the
19th century.
The “N” word within the
novel
Used rightly or wrongly, ironically or
seriously, of necessity for the sake of
realism, or impishly for the sake of
comedy, it doesn’t matter. Most people
do not like the word. Therefore, we will
omit it from the classroom.
*Huck Finn uses the term for the sake of
realism.
Your Jobs:
Keep up with the reading!
 Define your vocabulary!
 Understand all elements of a novel!
 Study these notes!
Reading Time Line: My idea is to read at
least 10-15 pages daily. This may change so
please be flexible.
You will be responsible for answering
questions for certain chapters and for
discussing EACH chapter.
We will read chapters 1-13 as a class and
individually; chapters 14 - 31 in small
groups; and then complete the novel as
a class and individually.
Reading Time Line
Continued
There will be a review-- this novel will also
be tested on your semester exam.
A folder will be provided under each desk
that contains chapter questions and
chapter summaries. Your folder will help
to fill in any gaps you might have.
Reading Time Line
*We will try to stay on this course as much as
possible. Time line is subject to change!!*
*You should be prepared for pop quizzes based
on content and vocabulary at ANY time!!! *
**You may choose to buy your own copy of the
novel—this would be ideal!*
***All HF questions will be completed in your
composition books. Write all questions in comp.
book and then answer them there too.*
Author Bio
 Samuel Clemens, AKA Mark Twain, was born in
Missouri in 1835
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Lived in an affluent family that owned several
slaves
In 1847, Clemens’ father died and the family
entered into financial hard times
Clemens left school, worked for a printer, and
began typesetting for The Hannibal Journal in
1851. He eventually worked as a printer in several
cities before leaving the printing field to become a
riverboat pilot.
 His pen name, Mark Twain, is a reminder
of his riverboat life; “By the mark, twain”
was a riverboat leadsman’s signal that
the water was deep enough for safe
passage.
 His life on the river became the backdrop
for several of his books including The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
 In 1861, Clemens joined a cavalry
division in the Confederate army, but he
wasn’t a committed Confederate and he
joined the rest of his division in a mass
desertion within a year.
 He went West and became a silver
miner. He finally became a journalist and
began signing his articles “Mark Twain”
in 1863.
 He wrote several popular books and
became wealthy. Over the years he
married and raised a family.
 He completed writing and publishing The
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884
which became popular immediately.
 His fortunes changed and by 1891 he
was buried in debt. His wife and two of
his daughters died over the next few
years.
 Scholars of Clemens’ writing suggest
that the pessimism and darker tone of
the books he wrote during the last few
years prior to his death were influenced
by his personal tragedies and his
financial hardships.