A few more thoughts occurred to me today after a
reflection on all the images of Twain we've seen in the media over the past
few decades.  What sparked my thoughts were the responses to the Burns show
I've heard from friends and family outside of academia: in nearly every
case, their thoughts always begin with "I didn't know . . ."

It seems to me one side of the popular conception of Twain is the Disney
father-figure suitable for framing on the back of a cereal box who is likely
to wisely advise children to take their vitamins and say their prayers.
This is the Twain who morns over the death of Jean before Della Reese pops
in and brings religion to the old curmudgeon. We all know this Twain and
groan in the theatres when Huck, Tom, and the rest become politically
correct cartoons.

On the other side, educational television programs seem part of the now
one-dimensional issue in Twain's life and work: race.  It seems no other
topic draws together panels, documentaries, dramatizations, etc.  For those
who watch the History channel, A&E and such, Twain is the subject of book
banning, censorship, and, well, little else.

If Burns did anything, he opened up new avenues of response addressing a
host of "I didn't know that"s  about Mark Twain.  One lady told me she read
"that book"--meaning HF--and didn't know he'd written anything else.  Others
were unaware of Twain's travels and interests, and whether they explore his
biography or books further or not, their image of Mark Twain is now richer
and more complex than what it was before.   In this sense, Burrn's overview
fills in the void between Disney and racial discussions, giving the viewing
public a sense of the wide vista that is Twain in life and literature.