The following information comes from a brochure I picked up at the Mark
Twain House in Hartford over the weekend. Those interested in registering
for the symposium should contact the Mark Twain House at (203) 247-0998.
THE POWER OF LANGUAGE
1994 FALL TWAIN SYMPOSIUM
THE MARK TWAIN HOUSE
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1994
The Mark Twain House's 1994 Fall Twain Symposium, "The Power of
Language,"will examine the power of Twain's own language and the
relevance of issues in Twain's works to contemporary issues.
The continuing controversy over Twain's portrayal of
African-Americans (such as the runaway slave Jim) and his use of
period dialect (particularly the use of the word "nigger" in
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is the basis for the morning
session. Talks and a panel discussion will explore the image of
African-Americans as portrayed through the language of American
culture, especially literature.
Mark Twain wrote "A powerful agent is the right word: it lights the
reader's way and makes it plain..." But who chooses the right word
in the wake of political correctness? The afternoon session will
address the emerging "PC" lexicon and how it has affected the
English language.
The conference will be held at the Aetna Life & Casualty Home
Office auditorium at 151 Farmington Avenue, Hartford, Connecticut,
just 4 blocks east of The Mark Twain House. Those attending the
conference can reserve hotel rooms at the Aetna Institute for
Corporate Education at $65 for a single room and $75 for a double.
The Aetna Institute is located across the street from the symposium
site. A reservation form will be sent with confirmation of
symposium registration.
Connecticut teachers can receive .4 Continuing Education Units
(CEUs) for attending this conference (see registration form). The
Mark Twain House is a Connecticut State Department of Education
approved CEU provider (provider #677).
Registrants showing their symposium admission ticket will receive
a 10% discount in The Mark Twain House Museum Shop the weekend of
the symposium. A discounted tour of The Mark Twain House also is
available to symposium registrants from September 1 through October
2, 1994.
PARTICIPANTS
Roger Abrahams
Hum Rosen Professor of Folklore and Folklife,
University of Pennsylvania
James Bernard
Editor, _The Source_
Jocelyn Chadwick Joshua
Professor of English,
University of North Texas
Linda Chavez
John M. Olin Fellow and Director of the
Center for the New American Community,
Manhattan Institute
Michael Dyson
Professor of Communication Studies at the
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Stanley Fish
Professor of English and Law,
Duke University
Shelley Fisher Fishkin
Professor of American Studies,
University of Texas, Austin
Andrea Ford
Reporter, _The Los Angeles Times_
Jeff Greenfield
ABC News Political and Media Analyst
Dick Gregory
Comedian, Author, and Civil Rights Activist
Christopher Hitchens
Contributing Editor, Vanity Fair
Gloria Naylor
Writer
Clarence Page
Columnist, _Chicago Tribune_
Frank Rich
Op-Ed Columnist, _The New York Times_
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SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
8:00 a.m Registration
9:15 Welcome
John Vincent Boyer, Executive Director
Debra Petke, Director of Education
9:30 The African-American Image in American Literature
Gloria Naylor
10:15 African-American Identity in Language
Michael Dyson
10:45 Break
11:00 Panel discussion on African-American identity as
expressed through the language of the arts
Michael Dyson, moderator
Roger Abrahams, James Bernard,
Jocelyn Chadwick-Joshua, Shelley Fisher Fishkin,
Dick Gregory, Gloria Naylor
12:30 p.m. Lunch
2:00 Language and the Media
Frank Rich
2:45 Panel discussion on the impact of political correctness
on language
Jeff Greenfield, moderator
Linda Chavez, Stanley Fish, Andrea Ford, Christopher
Hitchens, Clarence Page, Frank Rich
4:15 Final Remarks
*****************************************************************
Symposium Registration Fee
(includes buffet lunch and garage parking)
$40 general public
$30 members of The Mark Twain House
$15 full-time students
(copy of current student ID required for college students)
Tickets and information packets will be sent upon receipt of
registration form and payment. For more information call,
(203) 247-0998 or FAX (203) 278-8148. Reservations for the program
must be postmarked by September 19, 1994.
Send your registration to:
The Mark Twain House
351 Farmington Avenue
Hartford, Connecticut 06105
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