I am posting this review to the Forum on behalf of Errol C. Sull who wrote it. -Barbara Schmidt ~~~~~~ BOOK REVIEW Charles Norton. _Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain: Death, Deceit, Dreams and Disguises_. Xlibris Corporation, 2000. Softcover, 8.54 x 5.38. Pp. 208. $21.99. ISBN 0-7388-4144-7. Many books reviewed on the Forum are available at discounted prices from the TwainWeb Bookstore, and purchases from this site generate commissions that benefit the Mark Twain Project. Please visit: <http://www.yorku.ca/twainweb> Reviewed for the Mark Twain Forum by Errol Craig Sull <[log in to unmask]> Copyright (c) 2001 Mark Twain Forum. This review may not be published or redistributed in any medium without permission. Like many who are serious about Twain, I have a rather large collection of critical works on and about the man and his writings. These can be divided into two categories. The first are those that are quite detailed and "weighty" in their approach to the subject, and thus of great value for scholarly research, dissertation development, and theoretical musings. The second category are those that are lightweight and nary a twain's depth in original research. These are excellent for the teacher new to Mark Twain, for the person needing a quick snippet or two of interesting Twain facts, and for the Twainaholic who collects all critical works that speak to the author. Charles A. Norton's _Huckleberry Finn and Mark Twain: Death, Deceit, Dreams and Disguises_ falls into this latter category. Norton's sub-title _Death, Deceit, Dreams and Disguises_ is a broad one. To be sure, critical works have come and gone with a primary focus on but one of these. Yet I liked the alliteration; it seemed to entice with a promise of "here, in this small tome, all you've ever wanted to know about the four 'Ds' in a neat package." I am a reader who expects a book to be nicely structured so that it's easy to see where the author is taking me as he or she makes point upon point in reaching the ultimate position of his or her work. Thus it was not surprising that I expected this book to address the "themes" of death, deceit, dreams, and disguises in a fairly structured manner so that I could follow the author's points, theories, and insights related to each area. I was surprised to find that no such creature existed and, in fact, it wasn't until page 182 that Norton takes each item and succinctly talks of each. Prior to this, "death, deceit, dreams, and disguises" is mentioned collectively three times, as if to remind the reader that this really is what the book is about; just be patient and I'll get there. Like Huck's trip down the river, Norton's book meanders with a stop in some death here, a tad of deceit over there, a few dreams around the next bend, and occasional disguises underfoot. Much of the book's "journey" (pages 72 through 160) seems to spend more time doing a _Cliff's Notes_ look at the novel. Chapter 1 of the book is entitled "The Enigma of _Huckleberry Finn_," and it is in this chapter that Norton solidly establishes his book is geared toward the first time teachers of Twain and _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. Norton writes: "The treatment here of _Huckleberry Finn_, because a majority of the readers will not have read in great detail anything about the life of Mark Twain, presents an extended biographical treatment, but it also includes some useful details and views that more experienced Mark Twain readers may not be familiar with (p. 15)." The "enigma" of Chapter 1 is simply a laundry list of questions about the novel, including: What, if any, are the themes that make it important as a work of literature? If it is as important as many claim it to be, then why has it been banned regularly for several reasons in various places since it was first published in 1885? Was the author aware of all the issues the book raises? These are the "Holy gee!" questions that college freshmen and others new to Twain ask, but definitely not the material of new critical ground. Okay, now we know: someone picking up this work to better understand the complex issues of death, deceit, dreams, and disguises in _Huckleberry Finn_ will not have read much about Twain. Yes, Norton does offer some interesting biographical items about Twain and _Huckleberry Finn_. It's the sort of fascinating color commentary that makes any ho-hum play-by-play spring to life, if only briefly. Some I had not known, others I had forgotten, but certainly all are nice to know; a few: Twain quote: "My books are water: those of the great geniuses are wine. Everybody drinks water." _Huckleberry Finn_ was originally self-published. Twain had "Mark Twain" registered as a trademark to protect his interests. Laura Hawkins was the model for Becky Thatcher. In _Huckleberry Finn_ Twain brings in pieces of books he read as a youth: the Bible, _Gil Blas_, _Don Quixote_, _The Arabian Nights_, _Robinson Crusoe_, and others. As a student Twain did not excel, except in spelling. Twain's brother Henry was killed in a steamboat accident; Mark Twain would have been on the boat as well had he not been involved in a shouting / shoving match that forced him to leave the boat. Twain used his name of "Mark Twain" for the first time in February 1863 when he signed a dispatch (as a reporter for the Virginia City _Territorial Enterprise_) he submitted from the state legislature at Carson City, NV. All of which is not heady stuff, but interesting ... and "interesting" helps propel along any non-fiction book. And any data, anecdotes, or stories that add to the historical foundation of _Huckleberry Finn_ certainly add to the understanding of the novel. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 5 are titled "Strange Beginnings for a Great Novel," "Learning on the Road," "Going into the Territory," and "A Book and a Marriage." They do little to expand on the sub-title of "Death, Deceit, Dreams and Disguises," rather continuing to focus on Twain's life from boyhood through 1871. Chapter 6 titled "Writing _Tom Sawyer_" offers an example of what is fairly common in the book--tossing in bits of historical info without any reference to where the material came from. Norton writes: Huck's speech characteristics descend from the vernacular of English immigrants working with slave populations in Virginia; touches of the Appalachian vernacular of Kentucky and Tennessee people carried to Missouri by the Clemens family and friends; and the speech of Huck's model, Tom Blankenship, an undereducated Pike Country (sic) and black vernacular found in Missouri (p. 56). I may be old-fashioned but I like to know what is original with an author and what has been learned from others to help bolster his or her point. Again and again Norton gives us information that certainly is interesting but offers no clue as to his sources. Chapter 7 titled "Finishing and Polishing _Huckleberry Finn_" is in essence only an introduction to Twain getting ready to write _Huckleberry Finn_. Norton discusses Twain's feelings on racial prejudice; Twain's need for and interest in writing for money; Twain's interest in writing on the hypocrisy of churches and other aspects of life; and the founding of his publishing company, Charles L. Webster & Company. Again, nothing new here and certainly nothing that talks of death, deceit, dreams, or disguises. One item discussed in Chapter 7 is illustrative of Norton's tendency to make vague references to obscure items that he assumes readers of his book will understand. Norton states "...but the discovery of an altered illustration that made it appear obscene delayed the release [of _Huckleberry Finn_]." Some readers may ask, "WHICH illustration was altered?" It makes no difference that many readers will already know it was the Phelps illustration (with the caption, "Why do you reckon 't is?" in Chapter 32 of _Huckleberry Finn_), it is incumbent on the author to be more specific. Other examples of assuming readers may know something they don't abound, such as: "He occasionally showed his feelings of racial prejudice as he did in a letter on August 24, 1853 at age 18 (p. 67)." The quote begs examples from the letter, as well as the nature of the letter, i.e., to whom it was written. "There are some parts of the story, most very minor, that do not work in the novel and could have been left out (p. 76)." The obvious question: which parts? Speaking of the objections raised to the word "nigger" in _Huckleberry Finn_, Norton writes: "The matter has been debated on at least one occasion on a widely watched television show (p. 82)." I'd like to know, which show? Again, on the controversy surrounding the language of _Huckleberry Finn_: "Jonathan Arac [_Huckleberry Finn as Idol and Target_] says, in commenting on a leading Mark Twain scholar ... (p. 83)." Is it too much to want to know just WHO is this leading Twain scholar? Chapter 7 concludes with Norton writing about a topic he obviously has a passion for--the First Amendment--and his views on the minimum grade level one should be at before the novel should be taught. Unfortunately, neither has anything to do with the sub-title of his book and each merely takes us on a side trip away from any logical direction he may be trying to establish. Still searching for definitive information on _Death, Deceit, Dreams, and Disguises_, I came to Chapter 8. It is in this chapter, which often dragged with its re-telling of the novel, that Norton finally begins to find his stride as a critical writer. One of the best passages of writing in the book is on page 140, where Norton discusses the influence the post-Reconstruction period had on Twain's writing _Huckleberry Finn_. While this only obliquely ties into the four "Ds" it is nonetheless very good critical writing. Sadly, this type of writing is found too infrequently in Norton's book. Chapter 9 titled "After 'The End'" is a review of the public and media reception of _Huckleberry Finn_ and a reminder that the book was not considered the "great American novel" when first published. Chapter 10, the final chapter, titled "The Renaissance of _Huck Finn_ and Mark Twain" is really the heart of Norton's book. The other nine chapters could be condensed into several pages, and if combined with Chapter 10, would have better served as an academic journal contribution rather than a book. It is in this final chapter that Norton summarizes his sub-title of _Death, Deceit, Dreams, and Disguises_. Each of the four "Ds" gets a few paragraphs; I would have rather seen the book divided into four sections, each focusing on Death, Deceit, Dreams, and Disguises. Had the author done this initially, he may have determined that he either did not have enough to write a critical book or that more research was needed. Norton's bibliography is divided into two sections. The first is headed "General Information" which lists _The Mark Twain Encyclopedia_ (LeMaster and Wilson, eds.); and _Mark Twain A-Z: The Essential Reference to His Life and Writings_ (R. Kent Rasmussen). The second "Special Editions" list contains six different editions of _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. There are many references to works made throughout the book, but these never appear in the bibliography. Norton's book is self-published, and in self-published works the occasional typo is not unexpected. Yet because they tend to be uncommon these are quickly batted aside as a pesky mosquito and the reading and comprehension continue, unabated. However, when those typos turn into errors of grammar, sentence structure, wrong words, and misspellings on the majority of the book's pages--as they do in Norton's book--the writer must be brought to task. Not only does this reduce the overall credibility of the writer, but such constant distractions detract from the reader's focus on the content of the book. I don't believe that anyone takes pleasure in writing a book review that is less than stellar. Indeed, each of us who reviews a critical work on Twain hopes for a new view on the man and/or his writings. We are eager for a refreshing breath of criticism that gives us pause to think and re-think. Norton's book does have its place, but it is a work that should have been given much stronger structure, a few more edits, and lots more proofreading before it was published. _____ ABOUT THE REVIEWER: Errol Sull is an Adjunct Professor at Niagara University where he teaches two semester-long courses in _Adventures of Huckleberry Finn_. He has written three books, and written for _Harper's_, _Gourmet_, _American Heritage_, and other publications. His essay on the use of _Huckleberry Finn_ in teaching prison inmates is included in Vic Doyno's upcoming CD release of the novel. He hosts the Annual Mark Twain Birthday Party & Symposium, and recently performed his "Huckleberry Finn Rap" at the International Mark Twain Conference at Elmira, New York in honor of Lou Budd's 80th birthday. This is his first review for the Mark Twain Forum.