A propos of the thread today, if you haven't seen this segment with David Bradley on CBS's 60 Minutes ["Huckleberry Finn and the n-word debate"], watch it. Pasted below are links to the segment on youtube and on CBS. If the links don't make it through, just google "David Bradley" "Huckleberry Finn" and "n-word" and you'll get there. It is a gem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW9-qee1m9o http://www.cbsnews.com/news/huckleberry-finn-and-the-n-word-debate/ And if you're interested in hearing more -- and going for a wild ride to boot -- check out this related essay that David wrote. It won the top prize in a global competition for the best essay in 2015 (The Notting Hill Editions Essay Prize). The first link below is an article about the essay winning the prize that ran in the Independent (UK) and the essay itself is at the second link to the Independent pasted below. It's edgy & hilarious. Please buckle your seat belts... http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/david-bradley-eulogy-for-nigger-author-wins-notting-hill-editions-essay-prize-a6686996.html http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/world-history/eulogy-for-nigger-the-provocative-title-that-has-been-printed-verbatim-a6687016.html all the best, Shelley ===================== Shelley Fisher Fishkin Joseph S. Atha Professor of Humanities; Professor of English, and Director of American Studies, Stanford University https://english.stanford.edu/people/shelley<http://english.stanford.edu/people/shelley>-fisher-fishkin Co-Director, Chinese Railroad Workers in North America Project, Stanford University Mail: Department of English, Bldg. 460, 450 Serra Mall, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305-2087' http://www.writingamerica.org/ <http://www.writingamerica.us/> <http://www.writingamerica.us/> "Writing America is a triumph of scholarship and passion...a book that redraws the literary map of the United States." -- Junot Díaz https://english.stanford.edu/people/shelley-fisher-fishkin