Introduction Seminar on
The Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn
by Mark Twain
Please take out note-taking
materials. There will be a quiz.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Author: Mark Twain
Country: United States
State: Missouri
Year Published: 1885
Century of Setting and Publication: 19th
Years of Setting: 1850s
Historical Era: Antebellum South
Narration Point of View: First-person
Setting: St. Petersburg, Missouri, on
the banks of the Mississippi River.
Themes in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
America’s coming
of age story,
learning how to
deal with the
problem of slavery
Racist attitudes
towards black
Americans
The uncivilized
actions of so-called
civilization
Are we destined to follow
in the footsteps of those
who came before us?
Does the best
education takes place
in school?
Religious beliefs vs.
superstition
The difficult experience
of growing up and
becoming an adult
Can you be free
within society or
do you have to
leave civilization to
be free?
Can we overcome the
prejudice instilled within us
from our families?
Dialogue in The Adventures of Huck Finn
Two terms to know: dialect and colloquialism.
Portraying regional accent in text.
Using slang words often not in a dictionary.
Jim: "I ain’ gwyne to len’ no
mo’ money ’dout I see security.
Boun’ to git yo’ money back a
hund’d times, de preacher says!
Ef I could git de ten cents back,
I’d call it squah, en be glad er
de chanst."
Huck: “That ain’t no
matter. It warn’t no
time to be
sentimentering,"
Genre Analysis
Genre 1: Bildungsroman
- A growing up story, a coming of age tale
Genre 2: Picaresque
- A story of a lovable rascal or scoundrel
Genre 3: Realism
- Portraying an accurate depiction of life
Genre 4: Satire
- Using humor to make serious points
about society and politics
So what is the genre of Huck Finn?
It’s a satirical, realist, picaresque
bildungsroman.
Sketch an outline
of the river and
the state names
and borders
Bookmarks!
Try to find where the story is set…
Symbols
in Huckleberry Finn
Thick fog
River raft
The Mississippi River
Wood saw
Symbols
in Huckleberry Finn
Moral ambiguity
The limits
of freedom
Freedom and all the
problems it contains
Huck’s determination