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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn By Mark Twain Huck Finn Background • Written between 1876-1883 • Genre: Realism/Regionalism ▫ Realism: “Life through a clear glass window” ▫ Regionalism: Literature that attempts to capture the characteristics of a particular region • A humorous and satirical novel—mocks all levels of society • A coming of age novel (Bildungsroman) • Uses vernacular language, or local dialects • Two main controversies: ▫ Is the book racist? (use of the “n” word) ▫ Is the ending appropriate? Huck Finn Literary Terms: Unreliable Narrator • An unreliable narrator: ▫ Does not understand the full significance of the events he describes and comments on. ▫ Gives his or her own understanding of a story, instead of the explanation and interpretation the author wishes the audience to obtain. • Huck is not intentionally unreliable; his lack of education and experience makes him so. • Much of the humor in the first chapters comes from Huck’s incomplete understanding of the adults around him and their “civilized ways.” Huck Finn Literary Terms: Dialect • Dialect is the distinct form of a language as it is spoken in one geographical area or by a particular social or ethnic group. • A group’s dialect is reflected in its characteristic pronunciations, vocabulary, expressions, and grammatical constructions. • When trying to reproduce a given dialect, writers often use unconventional spellings to suggest the way words actually sound. • Writers use dialect to establish setting, to provide local color, and to develop color. • Example from Huck Finn: “‘But looky here, Huck, who wuz it dat ‘us killed in dat shanty, ef it warn’t you?’” Huck Finn Literary Terms: Humor Terms • Exaggeration occurs when the truth is stretched for entertainment or for humorous effect. • An understatement is a statement which lessens or minimizes the importance of what is meant. • Irony is a contrast between appearance and actuality. ▫ Situational irony: a contrast between what is expected to happen and what actually happens ▫ Dramatic irony: occurs when readers know more about a situation or a character in a story than the characters do ▫ Verbal irony: occurs when someone states one thing and means another Huck Finn Literary Terms: Humor Terms • Satire is a literary technique in which ideas or customs are ridiculed for the purpose of improving society. (know the difference between satire and a parody) • A caricature is a pictorial or literary portrayal of an individual or object with characteristic features distorted or exaggerated for comic effect. • Slapstick humor is physical humor; a boisterous form of comedy marked by chases, collisions, and crude practical jokes. Sample caricatures: The Twains Shania Twain Illustration by Dan Walsh, 1999 Mark Twain Originally published by the Maryland Humanities Council GUESS WHO?!!! C A B E D