Product Description

`You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", but that ain't no matter.' So begins, in characteristic fashion, one of the greatest American novels. Narrated by a poor, illiterate white boy living in America's deep South before the Civil War, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the story of Huck's escape from his brutal father and the relationship that grows between him and Jim, the slave who is fleeing from an even more brutal oppression. As they journey down the Mississippi their adventures address some of the most profound human conundrums: the prejudices of class, age, and colour are pitted against the qualities of hope, courage, and moral character. Enormously influential in the development of American literature, Huckleberry Finn remains a controversial novel at the centre of impassioned critical debate. This edition discusses all the current issues and the evolution of Mark Twain's penetrating genius.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #145500 in Books
• Published on: 1999-01-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Amazon.co.uk Review
A seminal work of American literature that still commands deep praise and elicits controversy, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is essential to the understanding of the American soul. The recent discovery of the first half of Twain's manuscript, long thought to be lost, made front-page news. And this unprecedented edition, which contains for the first time omitted episodes and other variations present in the first half of the handwritten manuscript, as well as facsimile reproductions of thirty manuscript pages, is indispensable to a fuller understanding of the novel. The changes, deletions and additions made in the first half of the manuscript indicate that Mark Twain frequently checked his impulse to write an even darker, more confrontational book than the one he finally published.

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About the Author
Emory Elliott is Distinguished Professor of English at the University of California, Riverside.

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Customer Reviews

An Unvarnished Look at the Human Soul
For such a simple story, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn often proves to be elusive for its readers. Here are some guideposts to look out for:

This story is told by Huck, and is not in the classic shape of a novel. Rather it is a precursor to Ulysses and Remembrance of Things Past, where other great writers attempted to capture the essence of our internal dialogue.

Huck is also hiding a lot from himself. You as the reader can quickly see through him though. He is trying to put a brave and positive face on a very dangerous situation. We all do that.

Huck also has to face himself before the book ends. What really is important? We can all spout a lot of moral talk, but what we do is critical.

If we lived in Huck's times, we would also see that there was an emormous moral dilemma. The rules of humanity were often not applied to black people. You could choose to go along and feel like a hypocrite (if you thought about what you were doing), or you could do the right thing. Sensitive people of that day often found it hard to do the right thing. If your neighbors were open-minded and you lived in the North, you might do one thing. If your neighbors were slaveholderes and lived in the South, you might do another.

Also, think about the trip down the river as an analogy for going through life. How will it turn out if you just let your direction go with the current?

Possibly the greatest American Novel ever-written
Mark Twain's "The Adventure's of Huckleberry Finn," is arguably the greatest American novel ever-written. Twain in his characteristic satiric fashion constructs an avator for freedom in Huckleberry Finn, and a comment on American society in the 1800s through his beautiful idiomatic prose. As Huck winds down the meandering Mississippi, the reader is wisked away on a page-turning sojourn like no other. However, most readers will make this book more than a sojourn; this book will become a torn and tattered escape that barely rests on their bookshelves before going on another journey with another mind. A 10 out of 10, which symbolizes the beauty of literature, and the real reason why reading a book will exist long after computers become a trite household appliance- this book is transportable and 2 1/2 inches of sure beauty. No metal, no chips, just literary genius.

Brilliant!!!
This is one of the best books I've ever read. It's pure story telling, and really funny. The characters are so alive that when you finish reading it you start to miss them. When Huck says he's "striking out for the territories" you wish you were going with him! If you like Vonnegutt then buy this book, its got the same mix of the funny and the profound. Come to think of it, if you like STORIES buy this book because it really is one of the best ones ever written.