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Adventures of Huckleberry Finn: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism
Like its popular predecessor, this critical edition is designed for "teaching the conflicts" surrounding Mark Twain’s classic novel. It reprints the 1885 text of the first American edition (with a portfolio of illustrations) along with critical essays representing major critical and cultural controversies surrounding the work. The novel and essays are supported by distinctive editorial material � including introductions to critical conflict in literary studies, to Twain’s life and work, and to each critical controversy highlighted in this edition � that helps students grapple not only with the novel’s critical issues but also with cultural debates about literature itself. In addition to several new critical essays, the second edition includes an appendix on how to argue about the novel so that students may more effectively enter the critical conversation about its issues.
560 pages, Paperback
Published December 25, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
April 5, 2024
I don’t think I could’ve hated a book more. The only reason I did (and would ever pick up a mark Twain book) is because it was for an English class. Why in the hell they are still using this book as a source of education in the year 2024? I really don’t know if I or anyone on this planet could answer that.
While I understand the whole point of this specific edition is to open the readers eyes into the controversial subjects of the book, I still just don’t get it. Why not give me something that could benefit my education? All this book showed me was that you could write an extremely racist, narcissistic and ignorant book and it would be used as educational material for an ungodly amount of decades.
I think anyone who enjoyed this book needs to stop living in the 50’s and get some sort of sense of life. These aren’t the things we should be using to teach someone about slavery. It’s on the white mans side for the entirety of the book and it’s just madly infuriating. There are so many amazing books that could be use for education.
On top of that, why are we still using this book if teachers aren’t allowing us to comment on the slavery, the south, or the uneducated writing? Why are we not allowed to call Jim a slave, if we know that he is even if the book never actually calls him one? Why aren’t we allowed to call him a slave but an n-word? What are the genuine point of views teachers have some sort of insight to that us students do not?
Can we all just unanimously agree that teachers should move the hell on?
While I understand the whole point of this specific edition is to open the readers eyes into the controversial subjects of the book, I still just don’t get it. Why not give me something that could benefit my education? All this book showed me was that you could write an extremely racist, narcissistic and ignorant book and it would be used as educational material for an ungodly amount of decades.
I think anyone who enjoyed this book needs to stop living in the 50’s and get some sort of sense of life. These aren’t the things we should be using to teach someone about slavery. It’s on the white mans side for the entirety of the book and it’s just madly infuriating. There are so many amazing books that could be use for education.
On top of that, why are we still using this book if teachers aren’t allowing us to comment on the slavery, the south, or the uneducated writing? Why are we not allowed to call Jim a slave, if we know that he is even if the book never actually calls him one? Why aren’t we allowed to call him a slave but an n-word? What are the genuine point of views teachers have some sort of insight to that us students do not?
Can we all just unanimously agree that teachers should move the hell on?
April 18, 2021
I despise everything about this book.
October 23, 2019
This book talks about very important and deep aspects in life. The story is quite interesting and adventurous. It is about a young boy, Huck, and an escaped slave, Jim, and their moral, ethical, and human development during a journey down the Mississippi River that brings them into many conflicts with the society around them. What Huck and Jim seek is mainly freedom, and this freedom is sharply contrasted with the existing civilization along the great Mississippi River. This conflict between freedom and orderly civilization forms the overarching theme of the novel. Initially, Huck is only concerned with his own freedom, and doesn’t question the morality of slavery, but after spending time with Jim, Huck’s conscience tells him that he needs to help Jim because Jim is a human being. Over time, Huck develops an inner conviction that he can’t return Jim to slavery, this is when he decides he must treat Jim not as a slave, but as a human being. Huck himself is not the most mature boy there can be, but he is in the journey of becoming one.
I think this is a good book for teenagers to read, especially high school readers because it shows and talks about a lot of things in life someone could eventually live and experiment. Through this book, the reader can examine and learn from the different circumstances the world presents in a lot of very different ways. I consider it is an educational book and you can learn from it.
I think this is a good book for teenagers to read, especially high school readers because it shows and talks about a lot of things in life someone could eventually live and experiment. Through this book, the reader can examine and learn from the different circumstances the world presents in a lot of very different ways. I consider it is an educational book and you can learn from it.
April 15, 2022
An absolute classic
July 3, 2022
This is an excellent book to read. It goes into several factors of life to avoid and to be successful by following the right path. I love the storie lines and the characters.
October 15, 2023
Leo Marx's 1953 essay "Mr. Eliot, Mr. Trilling, and Huckleberry Finn" (6800 words) is especially worth reading.
It's also available here :
It's also available here :
September 18, 2009
Not the Perfect Story; but Certainly the Perfect Edition
Note: This review of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn references the second edition of "A Case Study in Critical Controversy" published by Bedford/St. Martin in 2004 (ISBN-10: 0-312-40029-2, ISBN-13: 978-0-312-40029-3).
I've always said if a book has been banned and I haven't read it, I must be doing something wrong. Luckily enough, I had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before, and for the life of me I couldn't remember what the big deal was (outside of the obvious) (I was in Junior High at the time, some 12 years ago). I was taking an English class for fun at the university I work for and this was the first text on the reading list. The theme of the class is "racism in American culture and American literature." The reason I mention this is not because of the content of the story The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but rather the "bonus features," such as they are, that are included.
The "Case Studies in Critical Controversy" edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn includes the following (in addition to the original 1885 text):
* A wonderful introduction about the importance of studying controversies;
* A portfolio of the original illustrations included with the 1885 edition;
* Twenty essays "representing major critical and cultural controversies surrounding the work" (from the back cover) over three subject matters: the controversy over the ending; the controversy over racism; and, the controversy over gender and sexuality. These essays include:
o Lionel Trilling, "A Certain Formal Aptness";
o T.S. Eliot, "The Boy and the River: Without Beginning or End";
o Toni Morrison, "Jim's Africanist Presence in Huckleberry Finn" (New to this edition);
o Jane Smiley, "Say It Ain't So, Huck: Second Thoughts on Mark Twain's "Masterpiece"";
o Seymour Chwast, "Selling Huck Finn Down the River: A Response to Jane Smiley";
o Leslie Fiedler, "Come back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!";
o Christopher Looby, "'Innocent Homosexuality': The Fiedler Thesis in Retrospect"; and,
o Several other essays, many of which have been reproduced in other editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
With this edition clocking in at 550 pages, nearly 60% of the text is additional material regarding controversy in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As my instructor said on the first day, "Everyone has their own opinions; but, leave them at the door. All I want to hear are facts." This edition has plenty of well research and comprehensive information for all sides of each controversy. Many of the essays are linked, being responses to each other. I believe oftentimes we, as a culture, forget that sometimes the discussion about the controversy is more important than the actual controversy. Reading this text is an important educational lesson, and if parents, teachers, and school children read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the context of this edition it certainly would not be banned and I think we would all be more proud of our children for the level of discourse and behavior when engaging in controversial debate.
Granted, this is the only edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I have read (since I was 15 years old); but, I can't ever imagine myself recommending any other edition for any other reason.
Good reading,
Plants and Books
Note: This review of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn references the second edition of "A Case Study in Critical Controversy" published by Bedford/St. Martin in 2004 (ISBN-10: 0-312-40029-2, ISBN-13: 978-0-312-40029-3).
I've always said if a book has been banned and I haven't read it, I must be doing something wrong. Luckily enough, I had read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before, and for the life of me I couldn't remember what the big deal was (outside of the obvious) (I was in Junior High at the time, some 12 years ago). I was taking an English class for fun at the university I work for and this was the first text on the reading list. The theme of the class is "racism in American culture and American literature." The reason I mention this is not because of the content of the story The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but rather the "bonus features," such as they are, that are included.
The "Case Studies in Critical Controversy" edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn includes the following (in addition to the original 1885 text):
* A wonderful introduction about the importance of studying controversies;
* A portfolio of the original illustrations included with the 1885 edition;
* Twenty essays "representing major critical and cultural controversies surrounding the work" (from the back cover) over three subject matters: the controversy over the ending; the controversy over racism; and, the controversy over gender and sexuality. These essays include:
o Lionel Trilling, "A Certain Formal Aptness";
o T.S. Eliot, "The Boy and the River: Without Beginning or End";
o Toni Morrison, "Jim's Africanist Presence in Huckleberry Finn" (New to this edition);
o Jane Smiley, "Say It Ain't So, Huck: Second Thoughts on Mark Twain's "Masterpiece"";
o Seymour Chwast, "Selling Huck Finn Down the River: A Response to Jane Smiley";
o Leslie Fiedler, "Come back to the Raft Ag'in, Huck Honey!";
o Christopher Looby, "'Innocent Homosexuality': The Fiedler Thesis in Retrospect"; and,
o Several other essays, many of which have been reproduced in other editions of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
With this edition clocking in at 550 pages, nearly 60% of the text is additional material regarding controversy in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. As my instructor said on the first day, "Everyone has their own opinions; but, leave them at the door. All I want to hear are facts." This edition has plenty of well research and comprehensive information for all sides of each controversy. Many of the essays are linked, being responses to each other. I believe oftentimes we, as a culture, forget that sometimes the discussion about the controversy is more important than the actual controversy. Reading this text is an important educational lesson, and if parents, teachers, and school children read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in the context of this edition it certainly would not be banned and I think we would all be more proud of our children for the level of discourse and behavior when engaging in controversial debate.
Granted, this is the only edition of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn I have read (since I was 15 years old); but, I can't ever imagine myself recommending any other edition for any other reason.
Good reading,
Plants and Books
June 23, 2022
Huck Finn had burden of being a Classic before I even started reading. Book opens extremely well with hilarious first chapter. After that, first hundred pages, while fast paced and interesting, felt point less as there didn't seem to be any direction to narrative. Once 'King' and 'Duke' characters arrived, story, while still meandering, became exceedingly funny and engaging. Last narrative on freedom of Jim was perhaps a bit stretched yet nonetheless funny. Book ended with nagging feeling of the point of it all. But perhaps that is what is intended because book isn't like other literature where character development and scene depiction takes up lot of word count. Story is very fast moving, full of dialogues, full of action, and really hilarious in parts. In that sense book has quality amenable to children's reading and is adaptable to any movie with minimal tweaking. In the end, book leaves you with wanting more. Though I am little nonplussed by implication by some critics on multi-layered meanings of this book, since I found book to be very straight forward with little scope of ambiguity or multiple interpretation.
October 1, 2015
Re-reading this after decades, and as a mature adult, revealed many undercurrents that I just couldn't have sensed as a teen, when I read it last. The richness of Jim's character (and I mean his "character," as in his deep morality) was so subtle and powerful, as was the darkness of Twain's satire of the American personality. It was not flawless in the end, but it was often amazing and deeply moving.
Also a special experience was reading it aloud to my 11-year-old daughter -- to experience through her not just just the humor, pathos and brutality, but also to feel her indignation at the injustice of Jim's experience, and Huck's "confusion" about the true rightness of his rebellious act. Certainly, handling the dialects was a challenge, as was our decision to use "Negro" in place of the constant of the "N" word. But it was a special experience to read this to her just after having finished the much different, but equally unique "Tom Sawyer."
This one deserves multiple reads!
Also a special experience was reading it aloud to my 11-year-old daughter -- to experience through her not just just the humor, pathos and brutality, but also to feel her indignation at the injustice of Jim's experience, and Huck's "confusion" about the true rightness of his rebellious act. Certainly, handling the dialects was a challenge, as was our decision to use "Negro" in place of the constant of the "N" word. But it was a special experience to read this to her just after having finished the much different, but equally unique "Tom Sawyer."
This one deserves multiple reads!
June 27, 2022
This is one of my favorite books of all time. It is a great growing up story, as well as a sad, serious, and touching look at America's past. It's also funny, which I didn't realize as a kid. I notice something new every time I read it, which is once a year with my students. Huck Finn can be very controversial as well due to the racial slurs it contains. When I teach this text, we focus on the message of the text beyond those slurs and how those slurs could work towards or against that message.
This is not the original version I read in high school, but it is the one I got for a college class and now use. It contains essays and other materials.
My students read the edition below.
This is not the original version I read in high school, but it is the one I got for a college class and now use. It contains essays and other materials.
My students read the edition below.
October 25, 2016
Huckleberry Finn: the American classic with probably the most bi-polar nature of any American classic. An awesome and inspiring piece of literature...until about chapter 32 or so. Then comes that remakably incongruous ending. (No spoilers here - you have to read it to understand what that means.) And that, of course is the story behind the story, isn't it? Which makes the whole thing that much more fascinating.
The latter half of this edition of Huckleberry Finn is dedicated to case studies, essays, and critical analyses -- mostly dealing with that controversial ending. Some of these are more worth reading than others, but they all present some very interesting thoughts and ideas.
The latter half of this edition of Huckleberry Finn is dedicated to case studies, essays, and critical analyses -- mostly dealing with that controversial ending. Some of these are more worth reading than others, but they all present some very interesting thoughts and ideas.
October 26, 2011
I read this book in high school and now in college I had a better understanding of the book. The book is about Huckleberry Finn and Jim, the runaway slave, going down river to the free him. It would appear to be a simple task but in the progress they run into carpetbaggers, a family feud, an angry mob, and plenty of other problems. The book has been banned and has carried a controversy til this day in age. It is a simple book to understand and the reader gets a fourteen-year-old boy perspective on how he saw the world around him and also how he changed throughout the book.
March 4, 2020
This book was hard to read because of the English of the 1800s and it dragged a bit. Apart from that this book had good messages in it especially with the friendship between Huck and Jim. It was a good book.
July 9, 2007
A good critical edition of Huck Finn.
October 13, 2008
A truly American classic, Mark Twain writes the story of two American misfits and conquers everyone's attention.
Read
July 25, 2016Read a second time for my American Novels course.
February 14, 2013
*Sigh*
While I'll admit to Mark Twain's brilliance, I was still very displeased with the ending although I knew it was going to happen.
While I'll admit to Mark Twain's brilliance, I was still very displeased with the ending although I knew it was going to happen.
November 24, 2014
craziest ending
March 31, 2019
Re-reading this has been a treat.
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