Mark Twain - The Adventures
of Huckleberry Finn
This
classic American novel written by the ‘American Dickens’ in 1884 anticipates
the Post-Civil War nostalgia for the South and counters these ideas with the
uncomfortable reality of the hypocritical church and society which supported institutionalised racism and
slavery. Surprisingly, Twain had very few successful fiction novels, apart from
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which
was a children’s comedy and had no political critique. Twain preferred to act
as a national figure who dealt with contemporary issues and his numerous satire
pieces were regularly published in national newspapers.
However, the tale of
Huckleberry Finn and Jim escaping from
Missouri to Ohio became one of the most respected novels
of the nineteenth century. On their journey along the Mississippi
river the pair pass ten states, transcending society as they sail
past the false boundaries and question the difference between civilisation and
being civilised. The river is a place of exploration of outlawed behaviour; not
just the traditional antics of the lawless pirate but also the forbidden
relationship between slave and owner. Many have criticised the ending to the
novel, but what it is easy to forget is that there is a child protagonist, so
in many ways this makes the ending fitting.
One thing I would suggest is reading
the introduction, as many people, even critics, often overlook it. The introduction is aware of expectation of readers;
generally Victorian novel’s emphasised morality and the beauty of construction
and narrative. However, Twain uses dialects to reflect the specific ways of
speaking and create a more accurate and realist refelction on the South. He
feels that it represents his America as it doesn't impose an idea of how
everyone is the same and speaks the same and he feel this makes his novel more realistic
than other of the time, despite it receiving much contemporary criticism for
the use of slang.
The reputation of the novel preceded it and this made me apprehensive to read it as often, books with reputations are inaccessible to the general
reader (i.e. War and Peace). Yet,
when reading this novel I was enticed by the easy writing style and the scenic approach
to the tale; when the novel was getting difficult to read, there would be
another piece of action and created an easier reading pace.
Do you feel a bit apprehensive
when reading the classics – I know I do. My advice would be to just give it a
go! Have any books surprised you lately?
Lots
of Love
Elouise
xxx
