In addition to the entire text of what some consider the quintessential American novel, this comprehensive volume features materials that help place the novel in perspective with its time and place. "Contexts" includes essays on the composition of the novel, the people and history of the Upper Mississippi Valley, slavery, and the critical reception of the novel upon its publication. "Readings" includes Henry Nash Smith's introduction to the 1958 Riverside Edition of the novel, as well as critical essays.
Mark Twain's classic novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, tells the story of a teenaged misfit who finds himself floating on a raft down the Mississippi River with an escaping slave, Jim. In the course of their perilous journey, Huck and Jim meet adventure, danger, and a cast of characters who are sometimes menacing and often hilarious.
Though some of the situations in Huckleberry Finn are funny in themselves (the cockeyed Shakespeare production in Chapter 21 leaps instantly to mind), this book's humor is found mostly in Huck's unique worldview and his way of expressing himself. Describing his brief sojourn with the Widow Douglas after she adopts him, Huck says: "After supper she got out her book and learned me about Moses and the Bulrushers, and I was in a sweat to find out all about him; but by and by she let it out that Moses had been dead a considerable long time; so then I didn't care no more about him, because I don't take no stock in dead people." Underlying Twain's good humor is a dark subcurrent of Antebellum cruelty and injustice that makes The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a frequently funny book with a serious message.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
The greatest American novel:
I don't need to tell you what this book is about: everyone is familiar with it. I started reading it for the first time at age 25, fully expecting it to be the greatest novel I've ever read. I was not disappointed. I've never laughed so much with one book. The dialects, the events, the people: they're all so priceless. A masterpiece!
Exactly what I ordered!:
This book came on time and was exactly what I ordered. I had absolutely no problem with this order and the price was great!
The end sucks!!!:
An American classic, a literary work of art, these are just a couple of things that you hear about, Mark Twain's; The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This novel takes place in the late 1800's on the Mississippi river, with a young run away boy, Huckleberry Finn, and his runaway slave friend Jim. The novel takes you on their journey down the Mississippi, where the two endure many triumphs and tribulations. In the midst of Huck and Jim's struggles, a friendship between them develops. At the end Huck and Jim... more info
Great book.:
This classic is worth reading several times. We need a book like this for the times we live in now...what Twain could do with politics of today!
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The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Barnes & Noble Classics) by Mark J. Twain (Mass Market Paperback) - Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item.
