The Historical and Cultural Context of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Historical Context of Huckleberry Finn  Set in pre-Civil War years  years before 1885 publication  Slavery ended, but racism still rampant (Jim Crow Laws)

 Mark Twain underwent moral transformation…  He believed slavery was wrong and white Americans owed black Americans reparations

Backlash to Romanticism Realism –Twain tried to avoid romanticizing the story, though it does still have a few romantic ideas. He wanted to capture life as it happened to Huck. –Because of this idea of Realism, Twain’s characters came from backgrounds that were almost disdainful (poor, super-urban, super- industrial). He chose characters who would never have been romantic heroes.

19 th CENTURY  The Civil War  Industrial Revolution  Extreme contrasts between rich and poor

HUCKLEBERRY FINN is a…  COMING-OF-AGE NOVEL: moral growth of a comic character in a physically beautiful yet morally repugnant setting

and a…  PICARESQUE NOVEL: follows the adventures of a roguish hero episodic: Mississippi River flight to freedom vs. river flowing toward Deep South (slave territory) A Picaresque story depicts the adventures of a roguish hero of low social class who lives by his wits in a corrupt society.

19 th century Firsts…  First mappings of the West  First transcontinental railroad  First Photography

“Something new happened in Huck Finn that had never happened in American literature before. It was a book…that served as a Declaration of Independence from the genteel English novel…

Vernacular (noun) 1. The standard native language of a country or locality. 2. a. The everyday language spoken by a people as distinguished from the literary language. b. A variety of such everyday language specific to a social group or region: the vernaculars of New York City.

A Satirical work Definition of satire (n) –sat·ire –use of wit to criticize behavior: the use of wit, especially irony, sarcasm, and ridicule, to criticize faults –literary work using satire: a literary work that uses satire, or the branch of literature made up of such works

Irony Verbal irony occurs when a narrator says one thing but means the opposite. Situational irony occurs when a situation turns out differently from what one would normally expect (usually an oddly appropriate twist).

Irony cont. Dramatic irony occurs when the reader or audience knows something a character does not.

Themes in Huck Finn Racism and slavery Hypocrisy of a “civilized” society Morality: Right vs. Wrong Rules and order Friendship

Ideas to consider 1. What does it really mean to be free? 2. Is “right” always acceptable? 3. Are laws always good?

"Slave Boy Brought to Waterbury from Bucks Hill by Aunt Ella Johnson's Second Husband (Whelan)" Ninth-plate ambrotype, circa otographymus eum.com/slave boylg.html The American Photography Museum, Inc. #1

W. Queen (Philadelphia), Publisher or Retailer: "The Darkey's Vanity" Tinted Albumen Stereograph circa museum.com/vanitylg.ht ml The American Photography Museum, Inc. #3

Cumberland Landing, Virginia, Group of "contrabands" at Foller's house, May 14, The American Photography Museum, Inc. #4

Unidentified Photographer: Civil War Soldiers with a "Contraband" Albumen carte de visite, circa /contrabl.html The American Photography Museum, Inc. #5

Unidentified Photographer: Ten Children Cyanotype, circa The American Photography Museum, Inc. #7

Palmer (Tuskegee, Alabama) Instructor & Three Graduates with Diplomas and Geraniums Gelatine-Silver Print, circa The American Photography Museum, Inc. #8

Works Cited The American Photography Museum, Inc. Virtual Exhibit: “The Face of Slavery and Other Early Images of African Americans.” (2004). Cross, J.M.. “Nineteenth-Century Photography: A Timeline.” The Victorian Web. (2001). Reuben, Paul P. “Chapter 5: Late Nineteenth Century: American Realism - A Brief Introduction.” PAL: Perspectives in American Literature: A Research and Reference Guide - An Ongoing Project.(2003). Rubio, Juan Carlos. (Curator). “Portraits and Landscapes in Nineteenth Century Photography. Private Collections of Madrid.” Fundacion Telefonico. (2001).