How is this even legal?
In a message dated 1/4/2011 5:51:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
[log in to unmask] writes:
Kevin, you hit on a significant point--the teaching of the novel, the =
time, the people. In the United States, students most usually =
encounter "Huck" at the 11th grade-- the American literary survey. =
Students will have experienced several of Twain's other pieces at =
earlier grades. "A True Story," "Huck," Uncle Tom's Cabin," and now =
works by Frances Harper and Pauline Hopkins are included, along with =
essays, journals, etc. I have interacted with this novel and students of =
all ethnicities for some time now, and I have yet to encounter students =
who resolutely reject the reading of the work, IF they feel one has =
prepared to teach/share/experience it with them and IF they feel safe =
in the classroom. Much of the success for the teaching of any piece of =
American literature, whether in high school or undergraduate, depends =
on the teacher. I feel the goal of teaching any piece of challenging =
literature is to encourage students to experience the work and determine =
for themselves whether that experience enlightened them in some way or =
whether the experience left them flat and unaffected.=20
By teaching American works such as "Huck," modern students can begin =
to understand that at one time language really did make a difference; =
that words really do carry weight and consequences.
On Jan 4, 2011, at 5:27 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell wrote:
> I think this edition of HF is sparking exactly the debate that would =
be=20
> expected. The Wallace edition sparked a similar debate. I wonder if =
both=20
> debates are misdirected.
>=20
> As a member of the textual purist camp, I have an uneasy feeling
about=20=
> tinkering with Twain's texts for any reason. But if the reason is to =
bring=20
> the text to a readership that would otherwise not experience the book =
at=20
> all, and the textual change is openly acknowledged (I hope it is =
spelled out=20
> in the introduction to this edition), then maybe this is a Good Thing, =
a=20
> sort of HF with training wheels.
>=20
> I do wonder if the word "nigger" gets in the way of teaching the book, =
and=20
> distracts a young reader from the irony, dual narratives, metaphors, =
social=20
> satire, etc., that make the book a great work of art, a masterpiece. =
I've=20
> never taught the book, so I can't say. I've heard of black readers =
who=20
> expressed anguish having to endure the repeated use of the word, and=20=
> certainly it must be a distraction for them.
>=20
> But I have a more basic question-- exactly when are kids ready to read =
HF?=20
> I seem to recall Twain himself saying something along the lines of
Tom=20=
> Sawyer being a boy's book, and HF a book for those who were once boys =
(BTW,=20
> does anybody have a citation for this quote?). That's as big a =
difference as=20
> the one over the bug, with or without lightning (or lightning, with
or=20=
> without the bug)..
>=20
> Kevin
> @
> Mac Donnell Rare Books
> 9307 Glenlake Drive
> Austin TX 78730
> 512-345-4139
> Member: ABAA, ILAB
> *************************
> You may browse our books at
> www.macdonnellrarebooks.com
>=20
> ----- Original Message -----=20
> From: "Martin D. Zehr" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 2:53 PM
> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
>=20
>=20
>> Sometime in the long distant past, my teenage years, to be exact, I =
read=20
>> Hu=3D
>> ck for the first time, a sanitized version like the one which is
the=20=
>> subjec=3D
>> t of this discussion.=3DA0 Years later, I read the real thing, and I =
still=20
>> re=3D
>> call the feeling of disgust, even anger,=3DA0at being cheated of the =
raw=20
>> forc=3D
>> e of the banality of racism in Twain's original.=3DA0 I realize Huck =
will=20
>> alw=3D
>> ays be a difficult book to teach, but putting another gutted version =
out=20
>> fo=3D
>> r consumption by a new generation of readers, shielding them from the =
full=20
>> =3D
>> force of the entrenched racism Twain meant to convey, is certainly =
not the=20
>> =3D
>> answer.=3DA0 Just another form of "evasion," I think Twain and his=20
>> mission=3DA0=3D
>> are slighted, if not trivialized, by this form of deception.=3DA0 =
Also, it=20
>> st=3D
>> ill grates to see the article "The" in the title, the difference =
between=20
>> th=3D
>> e "lightning" and the "lightning bug."
>> =3DA0
>> And, in case it's not apparent, this is only my idle opinion, worth =
what=20
>> yo=3D
>> u've paid for it, and not meant to be a personal criticism of anyone=20=
>> partic=3D
>> ipating in this discussion or this valuable, vital forum, for that =
matter.
>> =3DA0
>> Martin Zehr
>> Kansas City, Missouri
>>=20
>> --- On Tue, 1/4/11, Jocelyn Chadwick <[log in to unmask]> =
wrote:
>>=20
>>=20
>> From: Jocelyn Chadwick <[log in to unmask]>
>> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 2:09 PM
>>=20
>>=20
>> Given the re-emergence of racial rhetoric from a variety of =
interesting=20
>> =3D3D
>> venues--Congress, Arizona, South Carolina, for example, it would seem =
to =3D
>> =3D3D
>> me Twain's novel is a greater must-read than ever before WITH all of =
the =3D
>> =3D3D
>> original language. I understand Alan's perspective, but I also =
realize =3D3D
>> that we have entered into a phase where folks attending a secession =
ball =3D
>> =3D3D
>> in South Carolina are lamenting the loss of their ancestors' =
lifestyles; =3D
>> =3D3D
>> where my home state of Texas=3DA0 has determined students have read =
enough =3D
>> =3D3D
>> history about Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, women, =
and =3D3D
>> any sort of difference; where the out-going Superintendent of AZ, Tom =
=3D3D
>> Horne (who will=3DA0 also now become AZ's Attorney General), has =
declared=20
>> =3D3D
>> all ethnic studies to be illegal: =3D3D20
>> HB 2281
>> The law bans K-12 classes that:
>>=20
>> Promote the overthrow of the U.S. government.
>> Promote resentment toward a race or class of people.
>> Are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group.
>> Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as =
=3D3D
>> individuals.
>> "It becomes the duty of the people of Arizona, through their elected =
=3D3D
>> leaders . . . to put a stop to this, and to be sure that =
taxpayer-funded =3D
>> =3D3D
>> public schools teach students to treat each other as individuals, and =
=3D3D
>> not on the basis of the race they happen to have been born into," =
Horne=20
>> =3D3D
>> wrote.
>>=20
>> The language in "Huck" was, is, and will always be offensive and =3D3D
>> uncomfortable;=3DA0 it should be; it must be,until we "get =
it."=3DA0=3DA0=3DA0Just=20
>> =3D
>> my =3D3D
>> thoughts. =3D3D20
>>=20
>> Jocelyn
>>=20
>> On Jan 4, 2011, at 2:38 PM, Lawrence Howe wrote:
>>=20
>>> I'm wondering if Alan is on-list and would like to clarify anything. =
=3D3D
>> =3D3D3DA0I'm=3D3D3D
>>> particularly curious about how he handles the scene in which pap =
rails =3D
>> =3D3D
>> abo=3D3D3D
>>> ut the educated 'nigger' that inspires his wrath against the =
gov'ment. =3D
>> =3D3D
>> =3D3D3DA0T=3D3D3D
>>> his particular black man is not a slave, but free. =3D3D3DA0So what =
word =3D
>> =3D3D
>> does thi=3D3D3D
>>> s new text use to describe him?
>>> Thanks for calling this to our attention, Michael. =3D3D3DA0The =
responses =3D
>> =3D3D
>> on the =3D3D3D
>>> original posting were illuminating. =3D3D3DA0I'm heartened to see so =
many =3D
>> =3D3D
>> people =3D3D3D
>>> take words, and even this one word, so seriously.=3D3D3DA0
>>> --LH
>>> =3D3D20
>>> --- On Tue, 1/4/11, Mark Woodhouse <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>> =3D3D20
>>> From: Mark Woodhouse <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
>>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>> Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 1:05 PM
>>> =3D3D20
>>> Good lord.
>>> =3D3D20
>>> I didn't know Alan was doing this but I guess it doesn't surprise =
me. =3D3D
>> It
>>> generates a lot of talk though doesn't it? Seems like it would make =
a =3D3D
>> good
>>> classroom discussion.
>>> (Although, I tried to get my CORE class to discuss the violence over =
=3D3D
>> the
>>> Danish cartoons of Muhammed and I got a lot of shrugging - like, =3D3D=
>> what's the
>>> big deal? So maybe I'm not a judge of what makes for a good =
classroom
>>> discussion. It seemed like Worlds Colliding to me.)
>>> =3D3D20
>>> I tried to look at all the comments to see if we knew anyone but I =
ran =3D
>> =3D3D
>> out
>>> of steam.
>>> =3D3D20
>>> On purely aesthetic grounds the thought of this sort of thing makes =
me
>>> cringe. I can hear the dialogue in my head and I know I'd be =
mumbling =3D3D
>> and
>>> swearing to myself as I went along, mentally re-inserting the =3D3D
>> original.
>>> =3D3D20
>>> =3D3D20
>>> =3D3D20
>>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 1:28 PM, Michael Kiskis <[log in to unmask]> =
=3D3D
>> wrote:
>>> =3D3D20
>>>> A former student sent me this link to a story about a new edition =
of =3D3D
>> Huck
>>>> --
>>>> to be edited by Alan Gribben.=3D3D3DA0 If you read the story, =
scroll down=20
>>>> =3D
>> =3D3D
>> to re=3D3D3D
>>> ad
>>>> the variety of comments.
>>>> =3D3D20
>>>> =3D3D20
>>>> =3D3D
>> =
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/01/03/huckleberry-finn-n-word-censor-edit/?=3D
=
>> =3D3D3D=3D3D
>>=20
>>> hpt=3D3D3D3DT2
>>>> =3D3D20
>>>> --
>>>> Michael J. Kiskis
>>>> Leonard Tydings Grant Professor of American Literature
>>>> Elmira College
>>>> One Park Place
>>>> Elmira, NY=3D3D3DA0 14901
>>>> =3D3D20
>>> =3D3D20
>>> =3D3D20
>>> =3D3D20
>>> --=3D3D3D20
>>> Mark Woodhouse
>>> Head of Technical Services
>>> College and Mark Twain Archivist
>>> Elmira College
>>> One Park Place
>>> Elmira NY 14901
>>> 607 735 1869
>>=20
>>=20
>>=20
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>>=20
>=20
>=20
>=20
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