when dee c made some comments about the difference in reading "Huckleberry
Finn" aloud, and reading "Life on the Mississippi" or "Roughing It" aloud,
then Terry Oggel asked --

>very interesting idea, r d.  Would you please elaborate, especially on the
>"conversation" and "conversion" distinction.  Seems to me that your
>conclusion is counter-intuitive.  But maybe I'm just out of sync.
>

dee c -- try reading aloud a couple of chapters of each of the three books.
I think you will find differences in ease of reading.

I attribute that difference, at least in part, to the motive for writing.
For "Roughing It" and "Life on the Mississippi", the introductory parts
state a goal of telling a story that had not been told some other way, and
of conditions and circumstances that would never exist again.  That is what
I meant by "documentary".

In sharp contrast, the motive behind Huck Finn was to replace complacent
ignorance with some degree of rage and resolution.

Granted, there are flickers of rage in "Roughing It" about how people
mistreat other people, but the voice in "Roughing It" is the voice of a
reporter.  Huckleberry Finn is a participating eyewitness, and that give it
more urgency.

Open to other suggestions, extensions, corrections, whatever.  Thanks for
the question.

r d colvett
florence  al