Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
“Mark Twain” is his pen name
November 30, 1835-April 21, 1910
Hannibal, Missouri: Later the setting
of Huck Finn
Apprentice printer, writer, journalist,
riverboat pilot
Famous lecturer
Recent publishing include “Twain
maxims, quotations, sayings” and
Autobiography (two parts)
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Huck Finn: Background and legacy
“Great American Novel”
Setting vs. Context
Controversy
Use of the “N” word
Author’s Purpose
Why are we reading Huck Finn?
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Sometimes referred to as a
sequel of The Adventures of
Tom Sawyer (1876)
◦ Common misconception
 Similar characters, but Huck Finn
is very much a serious novel
 More of a “spin off”
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Captures Spirit of the United States at the
time of its writing
Setting
Character—Common, ordinary people
Culture (its themes, concerns and conflicts)
Voice
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Setting: Huck Finn takes place in 1830-40’s
◦ Novel takes place pre-civil war
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Context: Huck Finn was published in 1885
◦ Twain writes the novel post-war
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Why does Twain set his story in a time period
other than his own?
◦ Why is Huck Finn set prior to the civil war?
◦ More than just “slavery”
◦ Emphasize race relations
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Although Huck Finn is regarded as the
Great American Novel, there is a lot of
controversy
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Tops the list of Banned Books
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Result of the Language and Situations
◦ Derogatory slurs, vernacular, adult
situations
◦ Major Question “Is Huck Finn appropriate”?
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The result of writing in colloquial language
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Colloquial: is “natural” or common language
◦ We might consider some slang terms as
colloquialisms
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We know that Mark Twain supported
abolitionists and the emancipation
proclamation.
So, why would Mark Twain use the “N” word
in Huck Finn?
Consider the “literary patterns” of Realism
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Quintessential to the study of American
Literature
Responsible for inspiring other major
American authors
Legacy alone
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Illustrates transition from Romanticism to
Realism
 Mark Twain is a Realist writer.
 Huck Finn has a Romantic setting and characters
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An extended text with cultural relevance
◦ Still being published, debated, (censured) and read
today
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Objective: Discuss Author’s Craft/Purpose
◦ See Unit Overview
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Craft
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Point of View
Characterization
Setting (vs. Context)
Structure
Satire (social commentary)
Purpose: What is Mark Twain’s purpose?