If you're a fan of irony, the ultimate Twain Trickster is ... Jim.  The "Jim's Journey Homeward" trilogy develops this theme more fully though implicitly.

-----Original Message-----
From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> On Behalf Of Scott Holmes
Sent: Thursday, February 9, 2023 11:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Mark Twain and the Trickster motif

Just now side-tracked from considering the accusations of "racism" in Twain's and Joel  Chandler Harris' works, I'm looking at the use of the Trickster.  I did come across what looked like a very nice essay on the subject but it was part of one of those web sites devoted to supplying students with ready-made papers.  It allowed me to read the first page but required payment for anything more than that.  I do not want to support such endeavors.

Anyway, my brief bit of googling as not turned up much so I'm asking here if there are suggestions as to legitimate sources in this.  Just on the surface I can recognize tricksters in much of Twain's work, including both Huck and Tom as tricksters.  There is Brer Rabbit in the Uncle Remus Tales;  much of the Arabian Nights tales involves tricksters; and perhaps even Twain's acceptance of the Hiawatha stories.  In the later case he is mistaken as the legitimacy of the tales as Ojibwa legends but they  do reflect the tales of the trickster Manabozho.

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/Unaffiliated Geographer and Twain aficionado/