Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

1
Mark Twains The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

• American Realism, Local Color, The Picaresque
  Novel, Satire, and the Bildungsroman

2
American Realism Defined

• Realism is, in the broadest sense, simply
  fidelity to actuality in its representation in
  literature (Holman 412).
• Realism, according to William Dean Howells, is in
  short defined as the truthful treatment of
  material. It is a nineteenth century movement
  that begins with the end of the Civil War and
  ends with the beginning of Naturalism (1865-1900).

3
Cultural Historic Background

• Realism is one of the first movements to have its
  beginnings in the Americas. It came to dominate
  the American cultural scene during the later part
  of the Civil War.
• American Realism as a movement reacts against the
  sentimentality and disingenuity of Romanticism.
  Unlike Romanticism, it seeks to portray subjects
  as they really are. In consequence, Realism
  opposes idealism (413). This reaction
  Romanticism is a direct result of the extreme
  violence and brutality of the Civil War. The
  Civil War in effect kills Americas youthful
  belief in an idealistic world that works
  harmoniously towards the betterment of humanity.

4
Background cont.

• American Realism embodies the struggle between
  agrarian democracy and industrial-capitalist
  democracy (Holman 415). It depicts the
  emergence of industrialism in America.
• Realist art tends to depict scenes of severe
  labor disputes, economic depression, and strikes
  that erupted in violence (415).
• In literature, Realism was formulated as a
  literary doctrine and practiced as an art form
  that came to dominate the American literary
  scene (416).

5
Realist Characteristics

• 1. The philosophy of Realism is known as
  "descendental" or non-transcendental. The purpose
  of writing is to instruct and to entertain.
  Realists were pragmatic, relativistic,
  democratic, and experimental.
• 2. The subject matter of Realism is drawn from
  "our experience," - it treated the common, the
  average, the non-extreme, the representative, the
  probable.
• 3. The morality of Realism is intrinsic,
  integral, relativistic - relations between people
  and society are explored.
• 4. The style of Realism is the vehicle which
  carries realistic philosophy, subject matter, and
  morality. Emphasis is placed upon scenic
  presentation, de-emphasizing authorial comment
  and evaluation. There is an objection towards the
  omniscient point of view.

6
Principles of Realism

• 1. Insistence upon and defense of "the
  experienced commonplace".
• 2. Character more important than plot.
• 3. Attack upon romanticism and romantic writers.
• 4. Emphasis upon morality often self-realized and
  upon an examination of idealism.
• 5. Concept of realism as a realization of
  democracy.

7
Identifying Traits of Realism

• Truthful treatment of material/Verisimilitude
• Pragmatism or the philosophy of the practical
  the value of something is determined by its
  usefulness experience
• Democracy the common, the average, the everyday
  Middle-class
• Mimetic Theory of Art a theory emphasizing
  imitation. Art should imitate life.
• Realist literature lacks sentimentality and
  romanticism
• As the central issues of life tend to be ethical,
  Realist literature tends to focus on ethics.
• The individual and characterization are very
  important to the Realist novel.
• The psychological is extremely important to the
  Realist novel

8
Huck Finn

• Twain attempts to faithfully portray the world of
  late 19th century Missouri.
• The central characters of the novel are practical
  in the extreme. Huck, the King, the Duke, and
  Jim do what is practical.
• Huck is placed against middle class sensibility
  to show its lack.
• In this novel, art imitates life as much as
  possible. Huck sounds and looks much like a
  runaway child would sound and look in this
  period. He is faced as a friend of Jim with the
  same moral dilemmas that would have faced a child
  of the South in this period.
• This is a novel that takes advantage of and
  eschews sentimentality and Romanticism in any
  form.
• Huck is concerned about the ethics of helping a
  runaway slave, but in the end decides that that
  ethical thing to do is to help his friend.
• This is a novel that lacks plot. It moves in
  episodes. As such, it relies upon the
  interaction between characters and individuals
  for its momentum.
• Whether it is the blood feud, the lynching of
  Colonel Sherburne, or the scams run by the Duke
  and the King, Twain uses the novel to delve into
  the darkest part of human nature.

9
Techniques used by Realist Writers

• 1. Settings thoroughly familiar to the writer
• 2. Plots emphasizing the norm of daily experience
• 3. Ordinary characters, studied in depth
• 4. Complete authorial objectivity
• 5. Responsible morality a world truly reported

10
Huck Finn

• 1. As a riverboat pilot, Twain was extremely
  familiar with the area he was writing about and
  incorporates his knowledge in his text.
• 2. Huck and Jims adventures are portrayed as
  part of everyday life. They are presented as
  things that could happen to anyone in the same
  situation.
• 3. There is nothing particularly noteworthy or
  special about Jim or Huck. We do, however, get
  an intimate view of what their life is like.
• 4. Twain presents his narration in a completely
  objective manner.
• 5. Twains picture of life on the Mississippi
  River is highly accurate.

11
Symbolism and Imagery in Realism

• The Realists generally reject the kind of
  symbolism suggested by the Transcendentalist
  Emerson when he said "Every natural fact is a
  symbol of some spiritual fact."
• Their use of symbolism is controlled and limited
  they depend more on the use of images.

12
Huck Finn

• The images in the novel are heavy handed and a
  little over determined.
• An example of this is his use of the sinking boat
  the Walter Scott. Sir Walter Scott is an English
  Romantic writer famous for his use of the
  chivalric code, the picaresque novel, and
  standard English (as opposed to dialect). The
  image of the sinking Walter Scott is Twains
  ironic comment upon Romanticisms sentimental
  idealism and the use of standard English in
  writing. He does this through the use of the
  same form that Scott made so famous the
  picaresque.

13
Realism and Individualism

• There is the belief among the Realists that
  humans control their destinies
• Characters act on their environment rather than
  simply reacting to it.
• Character is superior to circumstance.

14
Huck Finn

• Huck and Jim decide that they are not content to
  let others determine their fates for them. Jim
  refuses to be sold away to New Orleans, and Huck
  refuses to go back to Pap. He also refuses to
  let the Widow Douglas and Miss Watson civilize
  him.
• Both Jim and Huck runaway from predetermined
  fates.
• Huck and Jim change their surroundings when they
  are faced by a situation that is unacceptable to
  them. They change their situation, rather than
  let their situation change them. This is evident
  on Jackson Island. Rather than let themselves be
  caught unaware, Huck goes dressed as a girl to
  find out what is going on in town.

15
Twain and Realism

• Mark Twain is the father of American Realist
  literature.
• Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens on November 30,
  1835, Twain grew up in Hannibal, Missouri. His
  father dies when he is 12, and he has to go to
  work to support the family.
• Twain was printer, a riverboat pilot, a
  surveyors assistant, a newspaper reporter, a
  lecturer, novelist, and investor.

16
Huck Finn

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is considered
  one of the greatest American novels ever written.
• At the heart of the novel are two runaways Huck
  and Jim. Both of them are trying to escape from
  a social system that is set against them.
  Neither of them are willing to accept the roles
  that they are supposed to play in civil
  society. Huck will never let himself become a
  gentleman, and Jim will not smile and shuffle
  for any massah. In the end, Twain it is Jim,
  who is the moral nexus of the novel. He is more
  noble than any other character put against him.

17
Twain and Race

• While many critics oppose the teaching of Huck
  Finn on the grounds that Twains use of the word
  nigger is racist, others believe that Twains
  is actually calling for reform in his use of
  satire. They also see his role as Hucks
  conscience and Jims inability to accept his role
  as slave as evidence that Twain is actually
  condemning anyone who would look at Jim as only a
  slave or a nigger.
• Nevertheless, this is one of the most
  controversial books in American literature
  because of the use of the word nigger. It is
  frequently banned from schools.

18
Huck Finn and Realism Dialect

• At the beginning of the novel, Twain points out
  that his use of language is deliberate and
  strategic.
• Twain does not want his audience to simply think
  that his characters are all speaking with the
  same accent. In fact, he lists seven different
  dialects used in the novel.

19
Dialect

• As Twain states in the explanatory note at the
  beginning of the novel, The shadings have not
  been done in a hap-hazard fashion, or by
  guess-work but pains-takingly, and with the
  trustworthy guidance and support of personal
  familiarity with these several forms of speech.
  I make this explanation for the reason that
  without it many readers would suppose that all
  these characters were trying to talk alike and
  not succeeding (Twain 7).

20
Dialect

• Twains use of dialect is typical of American
  Realist literature. It attempts to capture the
  way people really spoke in a specific time and
  place. Twain is one of the first writers, who
  uses specific dialects in his writings.

21
Local Color Movement

• The Local Color Movement grows out of American
  Realism. Twains use of dialect inspires a whole
  generation of writers to copy his use of local
  color to flavor their stories.
• Writers like Twain, Kate Chopin, Flannery
  OConner, and Edith Wharton are sometimes
  referred to as Local Color writers.

22
Local Color Defined

• Local Color is writing that exploits the speech,
  dress, mannerisms, habits of thought, and
  topography peculiar to a certain region.
• Locale Color Writing exists primarily for the
  portrayal of the people and life of a
  geographical setting.
• The Local Color Movement begins in 1880 and comes
  out of the Realist Movement. This style of
  writing is marked by the attempt at accurate
  dialect, a tendency toward the use of eccentrics
  as characters, and the use of sentimentalized
  pathos or whimsical humor in plotting.
• Local Color Writing lacks the basic seriousness
  of true Realism. It emphasizes verisimilitude of
  detail without being concerned with the larger
  ethical questions that tend to define a work as
  Realist Literature.

23
Local Color cont.

• While the specific attributes of realism as a
  literary style are often debated, a dedication to
  verisimilitude is the basic precept.
• Regionalist or local color writing focuses on a
  particular setting and segment of societyoften
  mimicking in print their manner of speech (their
  vernacular), their class system, and other social
  rules particular to the region, such as specific
  roles or assumptions for women or children

24
Huck Finn and Local Color

• Twains use of dialect, descriptions of real
  places and geographic phenomenon, and description
  of the dress and social customs of the various
  places Huck and Jim visit marks The Adventures of
  Huckleberry Finn as an example of Local Color
  writing.

25
Picaresque Novel Defined

• Picaresque Novel A chronicle, usually
  autobiographical, presenting the life story of a
  rascal of low degree engaged in menial tasks by
  making his living through his wits rather than
  his industry.
• Episodic in nature, the picaresque novel is, in
  the usual sense of the word, structureless.
• The picaro (central figure of the picaresque
  novel) lives through his pranks and predicaments.
  
• By virtue of his association with people of
  varying degree, the picaro affords the author the
  opportunity for satire on the social classes.
• The classic picaresque novel is romantic in that
  it is a novel of adventure
• The picaresque novel is marked by realistic
  methods in its faithfulness to petty detail, its
  frankness of expression, and its presentation of
  incidents from low life.

26
Huck Finn

• In using the picaresque, Twain takes this
  traditionally Romantic art form and uses it as
  the genre for his Realist novel.
• The river provides Twain with a perfect excuse
  for presenting his story in small, unrelated
  episodes.
• Huck is the picaro. He is a character of low
  degree, who lives by his wits.
• Because Huck crosses social boundaries, he is
  able to provide satire and social commentary on
  social class
• While Huck Finn is indeed an adventure novel, it
  is different from Romantic adventure novels in
  that it faithfully portrays people and places.
  He does not idealize his adventure.
• Twain uses only Realistic techniques in his
  writings.

27
Seven Characteristics of the Picaresque

• It chronicles the life of a rogue usually 1st
  person.
• Picaro comes from the lower classes is an easy
  going character, who denies conventional
  morality. If he works, it is menial labor.
• The novel presents little plot just a series of
  episodes that may or may not be connected.
• The picaro is generally a static character
  changes very little or not at all. When change
  occurs, the picaro comes into money.
• The method is realistic. The story may be
  romantic (not realistic).
• It is presented in a realistic fashion plain
  language freedom of vocabulary and a vividness
  in description and detail.
• Satire is prominent, especially that of class.
• The hero stops short of being criminal.
  Carefree, amoral, the picaro narrowly avoids
  committing crime.

28
Huck Finn

• Huck Finn is a first person narrative.
• It tells the story of a boy from the wrong side
  of the tracks. Huck has his own sense of what is
  right and wrong, and cares little about
  conventional morality.
• The novel is a series of incidents that happen to
  Huck and Jim while on the river.
• Huck is essentially the same person from the
  beginning to the end of the novel. In fact at
  the end of the novel, Huck is considering leaving
  for the West to avoid being civilized.

29
Bildungsroman

• Bildungsroman a coming to age novel.
• It deals with the development of a young person,
  usually from adolescence to maturity.
• It is frequently autobiographical.
• The main character learns the nature of the
  world, acquires a philosophy of life, and
  discovers the art of living through his/her
  adventures in the world.
• In the German it litearlly means, a novel of
  education or formation.

30
Apprenticeship Novel

• Apprenticeship Novel A novel that recounts the
  youth and young adulthood of a sensitive
  protagonist. The protagonist is in some way
  connected to or taught by a more experienced or
  worldly companion.

31
Satire

• A literary form that combines humor and wit with
  criticism the purpose of which is the improving
  of the human institutions and/or humanity.
• There are 2 basic forms of satire Formal or
  Direct Satire and Indirect Satire.
• Formal Satire is first person satire directed to
  the audience or another character in the text.
• Indirect Satire is expressed through narrative
  and is normally told in the 3rd person. It is
  derived from the actions of the characters.

32
Direct Satire

• Formal or Direct Satire can be broken down into 2
  basic types Horatian and Juvenalian.
• Horatian Satire is gentle, urbane, smiling
  satire it aims to correct by gentle, sympathetic
  laughter/
• Juvenalian Satire is biting, bitter, and angry in
  tone. It points with contempt and moral
  indignation to the corruption and evil of human
  beings and institutions..

33
Huck Finn

• Huck Finn uses Formal/Direct Satire. Huck
  directly addresses the audience.
• Huck Finn is also a good example of indirect
  satire. Twain points out the evils of slavery,
  racism, and ignorance through the actions of the
  characters.

34
Juvenalien Satire or Horatian?

• Many critics see the humor of Twains Huck Finn
  as gentle, smiling satire. Twain says everything
  with a wink and a smile.
• Other critics see Twain as pointing out societys
  ills in an angry, indignant manner.
• This is a novel that can be seen, depending on
  the readers point of view, as perhaps a little
  bit of both.
• There are points, especially when Huck is
  directly addressing the reader, where Twain is
  using gentle, sympathetic laugher to correct.
• There are also other points when the satire is
  angry and indignant. A good example of this is
  Sherburnes invective against the crowd, who is
  about to lynch him.