How is this even legal? In a message dated 1/4/2011 5:51:09 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, [log in to unmask] writes: Kevin, you hit on a significant point--the teaching of the novel, the = time, the people. In the United States, students most usually = encounter "Huck" at the 11th grade-- the American literary survey. = Students will have experienced several of Twain's other pieces at = earlier grades. "A True Story," "Huck," Uncle Tom's Cabin," and now = works by Frances Harper and Pauline Hopkins are included, along with = essays, journals, etc. I have interacted with this novel and students of = all ethnicities for some time now, and I have yet to encounter students = who resolutely reject the reading of the work, IF they feel one has = prepared to teach/share/experience it with them and IF they feel safe = in the classroom. Much of the success for the teaching of any piece of = American literature, whether in high school or undergraduate, depends = on the teacher. I feel the goal of teaching any piece of challenging = literature is to encourage students to experience the work and determine = for themselves whether that experience enlightened them in some way or = whether the experience left them flat and unaffected.=20 By teaching American works such as "Huck," modern students can begin = to understand that at one time language really did make a difference; = that words really do carry weight and consequences. On Jan 4, 2011, at 5:27 PM, Kevin Mac Donnell wrote: > I think this edition of HF is sparking exactly the debate that would = be=20 > expected. The Wallace edition sparked a similar debate. I wonder if = both=20 > debates are misdirected. >=20 > As a member of the textual purist camp, I have an uneasy feeling about=20= > tinkering with Twain's texts for any reason. But if the reason is to = bring=20 > the text to a readership that would otherwise not experience the book = at=20 > all, and the textual change is openly acknowledged (I hope it is = spelled out=20 > in the introduction to this edition), then maybe this is a Good Thing, = a=20 > sort of HF with training wheels. >=20 > I do wonder if the word "nigger" gets in the way of teaching the book, = and=20 > distracts a young reader from the irony, dual narratives, metaphors, = social=20 > satire, etc., that make the book a great work of art, a masterpiece. = I've=20 > never taught the book, so I can't say. I've heard of black readers = who=20 > expressed anguish having to endure the repeated use of the word, and=20= > certainly it must be a distraction for them. >=20 > But I have a more basic question-- exactly when are kids ready to read = HF?=20 > I seem to recall Twain himself saying something along the lines of Tom=20= > Sawyer being a boy's book, and HF a book for those who were once boys = (BTW,=20 > does anybody have a citation for this quote?). That's as big a = difference as=20 > the one over the bug, with or without lightning (or lightning, with or=20= > without the bug).. >=20 > Kevin > @ > Mac Donnell Rare Books > 9307 Glenlake Drive > Austin TX 78730 > 512-345-4139 > Member: ABAA, ILAB > ************************* > You may browse our books at > www.macdonnellrarebooks.com >=20 > ----- Original Message -----=20 > From: "Martin D. Zehr" <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2011 2:53 PM > Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn >=20 >=20 >> Sometime in the long distant past, my teenage years, to be exact, I = read=20 >> Hu=3D >> ck for the first time, a sanitized version like the one which is the=20= >> subjec=3D >> t of this discussion.=3DA0 Years later, I read the real thing, and I = still=20 >> re=3D >> call the feeling of disgust, even anger,=3DA0at being cheated of the = raw=20 >> forc=3D >> e of the banality of racism in Twain's original.=3DA0 I realize Huck = will=20 >> alw=3D >> ays be a difficult book to teach, but putting another gutted version = out=20 >> fo=3D >> r consumption by a new generation of readers, shielding them from the = full=20 >> =3D >> force of the entrenched racism Twain meant to convey, is certainly = not the=20 >> =3D >> answer.=3DA0 Just another form of "evasion," I think Twain and his=20 >> mission=3DA0=3D >> are slighted, if not trivialized, by this form of deception.=3DA0 = Also, it=20 >> st=3D >> ill grates to see the article "The" in the title, the difference = between=20 >> th=3D >> e "lightning" and the "lightning bug." >> =3DA0 >> And, in case it's not apparent, this is only my idle opinion, worth = what=20 >> yo=3D >> u've paid for it, and not meant to be a personal criticism of anyone=20= >> partic=3D >> ipating in this discussion or this valuable, vital forum, for that = matter. >> =3DA0 >> Martin Zehr >> Kansas City, Missouri >>=20 >> --- On Tue, 1/4/11, Jocelyn Chadwick <[log in to unmask]> = wrote: >>=20 >>=20 >> From: Jocelyn Chadwick <[log in to unmask]> >> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn >> To: [log in to unmask] >> Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 2:09 PM >>=20 >>=20 >> Given the re-emergence of racial rhetoric from a variety of = interesting=20 >> =3D3D >> venues--Congress, Arizona, South Carolina, for example, it would seem = to =3D >> =3D3D >> me Twain's novel is a greater must-read than ever before WITH all of = the =3D >> =3D3D >> original language. I understand Alan's perspective, but I also = realize =3D3D >> that we have entered into a phase where folks attending a secession = ball =3D >> =3D3D >> in South Carolina are lamenting the loss of their ancestors' = lifestyles; =3D >> =3D3D >> where my home state of Texas=3DA0 has determined students have read = enough =3D >> =3D3D >> history about Latinos, African Americans, Native Americans, women, = and =3D3D >> any sort of difference; where the out-going Superintendent of AZ, Tom = =3D3D >> Horne (who will=3DA0 also now become AZ's Attorney General), has = declared=20 >> =3D3D >> all ethnic studies to be illegal: =3D3D20 >> HB 2281 >> The law bans K-12 classes that: >>=20 >> Promote the overthrow of the U.S. government. >> Promote resentment toward a race or class of people. >> Are designed primarily for students of a particular ethnic group. >> Advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of students as = =3D3D >> individuals. >> "It becomes the duty of the people of Arizona, through their elected = =3D3D >> leaders . . . to put a stop to this, and to be sure that = taxpayer-funded =3D >> =3D3D >> public schools teach students to treat each other as individuals, and = =3D3D >> not on the basis of the race they happen to have been born into," = Horne=20 >> =3D3D >> wrote. >>=20 >> The language in "Huck" was, is, and will always be offensive and =3D3D >> uncomfortable;=3DA0 it should be; it must be,until we "get = it."=3DA0=3DA0=3DA0Just=20 >> =3D >> my =3D3D >> thoughts. =3D3D20 >>=20 >> Jocelyn >>=20 >> On Jan 4, 2011, at 2:38 PM, Lawrence Howe wrote: >>=20 >>> I'm wondering if Alan is on-list and would like to clarify anything. = =3D3D >> =3D3D3DA0I'm=3D3D3D >>> particularly curious about how he handles the scene in which pap = rails =3D >> =3D3D >> abo=3D3D3D >>> ut the educated 'nigger' that inspires his wrath against the = gov'ment. =3D >> =3D3D >> =3D3D3DA0T=3D3D3D >>> his particular black man is not a slave, but free. =3D3D3DA0So what = word =3D >> =3D3D >> does thi=3D3D3D >>> s new text use to describe him? >>> Thanks for calling this to our attention, Michael. =3D3D3DA0The = responses =3D >> =3D3D >> on the =3D3D3D >>> original posting were illuminating. =3D3D3DA0I'm heartened to see so = many =3D >> =3D3D >> people =3D3D3D >>> take words, and even this one word, so seriously.=3D3D3DA0 >>> --LH >>> =3D3D20 >>> --- On Tue, 1/4/11, Mark Woodhouse <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >>> =3D3D20 >>> From: Mark Woodhouse <[log in to unmask]> >>> Subject: Re: a new Adventures of Huckleberry Finn >>> To: [log in to unmask] >>> Date: Tuesday, January 4, 2011, 1:05 PM >>> =3D3D20 >>> Good lord. >>> =3D3D20 >>> I didn't know Alan was doing this but I guess it doesn't surprise = me. =3D3D >> It >>> generates a lot of talk though doesn't it? Seems like it would make = a =3D3D >> good >>> classroom discussion. >>> (Although, I tried to get my CORE class to discuss the violence over = =3D3D >> the >>> Danish cartoons of Muhammed and I got a lot of shrugging - like, =3D3D= >> what's the >>> big deal? So maybe I'm not a judge of what makes for a good = classroom >>> discussion. It seemed like Worlds Colliding to me.) >>> =3D3D20 >>> I tried to look at all the comments to see if we knew anyone but I = ran =3D >> =3D3D >> out >>> of steam. >>> =3D3D20 >>> On purely aesthetic grounds the thought of this sort of thing makes = me >>> cringe. I can hear the dialogue in my head and I know I'd be = mumbling =3D3D >> and >>> swearing to myself as I went along, mentally re-inserting the =3D3D >> original. >>> =3D3D20 >>> =3D3D20 >>> =3D3D20 >>> On Tue, Jan 4, 2011 at 1:28 PM, Michael Kiskis <[log in to unmask]> = =3D3D >> wrote: >>> =3D3D20 >>>> A former student sent me this link to a story about a new edition = of =3D3D >> Huck >>>> -- >>>> to be edited by Alan Gribben.=3D3D3DA0 If you read the story, = scroll down=20 >>>> =3D >> =3D3D >> to re=3D3D3D >>> ad >>>> the variety of comments. >>>> =3D3D20 >>>> =3D3D20 >>>> =3D3D >> = http://shelf-life.ew.com/2011/01/03/huckleberry-finn-n-word-censor-edit/?=3D = >> =3D3D3D=3D3D >>=20 >>> hpt=3D3D3D3DT2 >>>> =3D3D20 >>>> -- >>>> Michael J. Kiskis >>>> Leonard Tydings Grant Professor of American Literature >>>> Elmira College >>>> One Park Place >>>> Elmira, NY=3D3D3DA0 14901 >>>> =3D3D20 >>> =3D3D20 >>> =3D3D20 >>> =3D3D20 >>> --=3D3D3D20 >>> Mark Woodhouse >>> Head of Technical Services >>> College and Mark Twain Archivist >>> Elmira College >>> One Park Place >>> Elmira NY 14901 >>> 607 735 1869 >>=20 >>=20 >>=20 >> ----- >> No virus found in this message. >> Checked by AVG - www.avg.com >> Version: 10.0.1191 / Virus Database: 1435/3357 - Release Date: = 01/03/11 >>=20 >=20 >=20 >=20 > ----- > No virus found in this message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 10.0.1191 / Virus Database: 1435/3357 - Release Date: = 01/03/11