Harriet's Literary Neighborhood #4: Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn

Dr. John Getz from Xavier University is leading us on a tour of Harriet's "Literary Neighborhood"--authors and work that interacted with her own life and work, even though they were often geographically far apart. CLICK HERE for the full series.

---

​Harriet Beecher Stowe and Mark Twain were friends, and he literally lived in her neighborhood, in fact, next door to her in Hartford, CT, from 1874 to 1891.  They shared jokes and a passion for social justice.
 
If you read Twain’s classic Huckleberry Finn in grade school or high school, give it another try from your later perspective.  You may find that the parts you laughed out loud at back then are less interesting and that some parts you skipped over speak to you more today. 

---

If Huckleberry Finn seems uneven, remember that its author struggled to write it in fits and starts from 1876 to 1885.  Remember too that slavery had been abolished for over a decade when he began the project, so he never saw it as an abolitionist novel though it’s set in the 1840s.  The targets of Twain’s satire are many, but see if you can find examples of his concern about postwar attempts to glamorize the antebellum South and the Lost Cause of the Confederacy.

---

Try reading some of this book aloud.  That will help if the dialogue seems confusing. You’ll also hear Huck’s voice, one of the most original and enduring of Twain’s creations.
 
Huckleberry Finn was controversial when published in 1885 and remains so today.  Recent objections focus on the characters’ use of the N-word and on the characterization of Jim and his relationship with Huck. 
 
You can read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn free online through Project Gutenberg.  If you read or reread even part of it, let us know your reactions.    ​

About the author:
Dr. John Getz, Professor Emeritus, Xavier University, retired in 2017 after teaching English there for 45 years.  He specializes in American literature, especially nineteenth century, as well as the intersections of literature and peace studies. He has written articles on a variety of authors including Edith Wharton, Sherwood Anderson, and Ursula Le Guin. He appears in the documentary film Becoming Harriet Beecher Stowe, scheduled for release in spring 2020 by Fourth Wall Films.   ​