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Sender:
Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
Subject:
From:
"Robert A. Dagnall" <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 24 Nov 1992 09:44:10 -0700
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Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]>
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Deidre:

One note regarding Huck Finn that might ease some of your (and your
students' ) qualms regarding Twain's use of the "n-wprd" (n-word,
my terminal doesn't allow backspacing):

According to several sources in the _Mark Twain Journal_ issue
featuring African-American scholars' appraisal of _HF_ on its
centennial, the epithet "Nigger Jim" is an invention of Paine's,
appearing first in his _Biography_.

But as one scholar wrote, the n-word struck a chord with whites and
was retained.  Hemingway was the foremost example of this-he picked
up the epithet and never dropped it when referring to Jim.

If you wish, I'll get the exact references for yoyu.

Robert Dagnall

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