Shreela
Written on Jan 1, 2023
This is the first edition of "Huckleberry Finn" ever to be based on Mark Twain's entire original manuscript - including its first 663 pages, which had been lost for more than a hundred years when they were discovered in 1990 in a Los Angeles attic. The text of the "Mark Twain Library" edition (first published in 1985) has been re-edited using this manuscript, restoring thousands of details of wording, spelling, and punctuation that had been corrupted by Mark Twain's typist, typesetters, and proofreaders. The revised "Mark Twain Library Huckleberry Finn" is sure to become the standard edition for all students and readers of Mark Twain. The authoritative new edition of this beloved work includes all of the 174 first-edition illustrations by Edward Windsor Kemble, which the author called 'rattling good'. It also contains a new gathering of manuscript pages, photographically reproduced, and an appendix of passages from the manuscript, including the long-lost 'ghost story', which illustrate how extensively Mark Twain revised his work. The editors have also revised and updated their explanatory notes, the maps of the Mississippi River valley, and the glossary of slang and dialect words.
The story of Huck and his companion Jim, a runaway slave, as they travel down the Mississippi to escape from slavery and 'sivilization' has been delighting readers around the world since Twain first published it in 1885. Simply put, it is a masterpiece: revolutionary in its narrative method, surpassingly funny, and at the same time deeply perceptive about human nature. No other American novel of the nineteenth century still commands so vast an audience, and certainly no other retains the capacity to stir controversy with its sharp satire on American racism. A responsible critical text to produce this authoritative critical text, the editors studied all aspects of Mark Twain's manuscript, working notes, proof sheets, and letters. To judge the authority of every variant, they created a unique electronic database that made it possible to analyze - by speaker and date of composition - every word in the manuscript and first edition. This title presents an inside view of how Mark Twain wrote "Huckleberry Finn". The new appendixes of "Three Passages" and "Manuscript Facsimiles" will give teachers and students as well as the general reader a close-up view of Mark Twain's writing process.
They can follow the evolution of three key passages, as the author searched for the right word, the truest dialect, and the most telling description.
- ISBN10 0520228383
- ISBN13 9780520228382
- Publish Date 12 June 2001 (first published 10 December 1884)
- Publish Status Out of Print
- Out of Print 27 July 2010
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of California Press
- Format Paperback (US Trade)
- Pages 588
- Language English
Reviews
ammaarah
Written on Sep 12, 2021
“All right, then, I'll go to hell.”
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of America's popular classics and has a lot of hype behind it, but I found it so boring. It's like I read a different book.
I get a sense that this book is an important piece of literature, maybe because it's a product of its time, but it isn't politically correct and can be offensive at times. One of the themes is racism and some characters are racist and use racial slurs. I'm going to give Twain the benefit of doubt though because I feel like this book was written to be anti-racist even if it wasn't done well. On another note, while the dialect might be true to its time, it's very difficult to read.
The plot is frustrating, tedious, unnecessary and all over the place. What was the point of it all? It's just one absurd adventure after another and it's all so dull and uninteresting. I only found a small section of the last quarter engrossing which is when Huck stops the King and Duke from stealing the girls' inheritance.
The characters are bland and I feel indifferent towards them. Huckleberry's attempts to figure out wrong and right are interesting and I feel like if he was given an opportunity, he could have had a better life. Twain did Jim dirty though because he's such a passive character and reads like a caricature. I also couldn't stand Tom. He's so annoying.
I know that The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn was trying to achieve something, but even after reading it, I don't know what that something is. I really thought I'd like this book more, but it isn't engrossing.
“Human beings can be awful cruel to one another.”
Briana @ Pages Unbound
Written on May 1, 2011
In a recently published version of Huckleberry Finn, all uses of the “n-word” have been replaced with “slave” in order to make the book less offensive. The presentation of race in the book, however, is much deeper and more complex than this single word. Huck has an inner debate about whether or not he should be traveling down the river with Jim and thereby helping him run away from his owner. He contrasts his feelings constantly with societal expectations and says that Tom “fell considerable in [his] estimation” when he agrees to help Jim, too, because Tom was “respectable and well brung up.” Huck makes numerous comments that the readers are obviously meant to assume are ironic, such as the comment that Jim seems to miss and care for his family as much as any white person would care for his. Jim is also clearly portrayed as extraordinarily kind, even giving up his chance for freedom to help Tom when he is hurt.
Religion is also put up for scrutiny in Huckleberry Finn, as Huck must come to terms with what he beliefs. Is what he has been taught about slavery moral, for instance? He is doubtful because Jim is so nice and grateful for all the help he gives. Huck also ponders the power of prayer and whether a “good person’s” prayers are worth more than another man’s. Many interesting philosophical questions arise that could occur to any child, yet still seem very adult.
Despite the thought and joy that clearly went into the writing of this book and the very worthy and interesting questions it raises, I did not vastly enjoy it. I found the quick succession of adventures very implausible and almost ridiculous in their number; they became more tiring than exciting at some point. This flaw improved somewhat by the end of the novel, however, as there developed one main adventure. The book could have been improved by the cutting of a few chapters, but it remains a classic nonetheless.
remo
Written on Apr 13, 1992
Huck Finn es primo de Tom Sawyer. Nos embarcamos con él en aventuras por el río Mississippi, en los últimos años antes de la guerra (el libro se escribió después). Hay una gran crítica a los valores anquilosados de una sociedad decadente en todo el libro. Es mucho menos ágil e interesante que el libro de su primo, sin embargo.