Stephen, just a few words of appreciation for your observations on "Huckleberry Finn," which to my mind perfectly capture and summarize the tricky, frustrating admixture of racist and fiercely anti-racist elements in both the book and its author: the power and humanity of the raft scenes on one hand, and on the other the regrettable minstrelsy & stereotyping in the "Evasion" chapters, where, as you put it so eloquently, "the novel betrays Jim, its anti-racist agenda, and its own greatness." For the good stuff a lot of credit must go to the abolitionist Langdon family, who somehow managed to achieve a wondrous transformation in the unapologetic racist who came a-courting their daughter in 1868. But even they couldn't work miracles, and for Twain, throwing in a little "darky" humor must have looked like an obvious & perfectly OK way to get to the end of a novel that was still refusing to finish itself after 10 years of work. Damn shame, though. And it does leave us Twain lovers, and especially the educators among us, with a real mess on our hands. On Sat, Mar 27, 2021, 1:49 PM Railton, Stephen F (sfr) <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > I hope you'll let me respond to two different threads. > First, the electronic archive Mark Twain In His Times has quite a few > different texts from his various lectures and tours at > https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/onstage/lectures.html > > But the question about racism is obviously more important, for our culture > and for Twain's future place within it. > As perhaps some of you already know, I've been arguing for a long time > that Huck Finn -- the novel; the boy obviously has the racist beliefs of > his culture, which is the basis on which Twain builds his ironic narrative > -- that HF is AND isn't racist: that while many if not all of the scenes on > the raft challenge America's racist preconceptions, at a number of points > -- and especially during the Evasion -- the novel perpetuates the racist > stereotypes that grew from slavery and that still haunt our society. I > realize I've had very little success getting most of the Twain community to > agree. But here I want to underline two things, that may help carry our > conversation forward: > > The U.S. was "racist" when Sam Clemens was a kid, and racist in 1885 when > HF was published, and it is still deeply if now more insiduously and > unconsciously racist in 2021. I recognize that as someone who grew up in > the U.S. I still have my share of unconscious racism -- how could I not, > having for example grown up in a city (Elgin Ill in the 50s) with a 10% > population of blacks whom I never saw, while watching hours of TV and > movies where blacks were depicted in the stereotypical ways that make white > America comfortable. But of course the U.S. is also struggling to outgrow > racism, to be the truly democratic society our principles declare it to > be. And to me, that's the wonderful thing about Huck Finn -- that it > racist and anti-racist, like our culture then and now, and so can hold a > really powerful mirror up to the best and worst about ourselves. Could > Mark Twain have been so beloved as a figure in our culture if he didn't > know how to give white audiences what they wanted? That his work often > transcends their appetites is why we spend so much of our lives reading and > thinking about him. > > Second: for that reason I want HF to remain part of the curriculum, though > teachers should not teach it unless they are prepared to consciously > confront the extreme discomfort the novel can cause, and prepared with > their students to look closely at both the novel's best moments and the > ways in which the novel betrays Jim, its anti-racist agenda, and its own > greatness. But I think that as long as such a large part of the Twain > community keeps insisting that the problem with HF is in the minds of the > readers who don't know how to read it, rather than also in its text and in > our culture, the days of Twain's place in the curriculum are numbered. To > me, HF is about the best occasion we have to have the discussion about > slavery and racism that we always keep deferring as a culture, and the high > school or college classroom is the best place to have that discussion. But > as a discussion, the conversation has to acknowledge what is admonitory as > well as what is exemplary, where HF should appall us as well as where it > should delight and inspire us. I'm sorry I wrote so much, but as you can > tell, all this means a lot to me. I think it means a lot to our culture > too. Thanks for listening, Steve Railton (Emeritus Prof of English, Univ > of Virginia) > > > MT as Lecturer - twain.lib.virginia.edu< > https://twain.lib.virginia.edu/onstage/lectures.html> > "The Trouble Begins at 8:00" MT began his career as a platform entertainer > out West, after he'd achieved notoriety as a newspaper writer. When he > began speaking in the East, he worried about how to meet the expectations > of audiences who loved to listen to oratory, but whose tastes had been > formed by lyceum lectures. > twain.lib.virginia.edu > > ________________________________ > From: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> on behalf of John R. Pascal < > [log in to unmask]> > Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2021 1:07 PM > To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]> > Subject: Fwd: Regarding "the 'N' word" in Huck Finn > > Last line, I meant to say, “I certainly don’t KNOW any of the political > and administrative . . .” > It’s Saturday, time to be outside!! > > Begin forwarded message: > > > > From: "John R. Pascal" <[log in to unmask]> > > Subject: Re: Regarding "the 'N' word" in Huck Finn > > Date: March 27, 2021 at 1:02:48 PM EDT > > To: Mark Twain Forum <[log in to unmask]> > > > > Hi Alan, > > I neither could nor would comment on any students outside of my own, > except to say that it is a shame from what you say that apparently they do > not at least try to exercise an open mind to just listen to as many facts > as possible and then make a better informed educated decision. Teaching > difficult subjects is never easy, but the students do want the truth to be > presented, as you indeed know. > > As you are aware, every teacher and every classroom demographic is > different, so I can’t comment any more on this portion. > > I only know what works for me. > > In addition to the information I already gave, I also reference Dr. > Shelley Fisher Fishkin’s works, Lighting Out for the Territory Reflections > on Mark Twain and American Culture, and Was Huck Black? Mark Twain and > African American Voices. > > I do not know what you mean by “Seton Hall has a budget to do that.” > Critical Companion and Dr. Fishkin’s books are my personal property, along > with Dr. Fishkin’s works. They are on my classroom desk and my students do > thumb through them. Any research I do, like any teacher, is on my own time > without renumeration; I wouldn’t ask anyway. It’s part of my expected > professional development. > > Also, we do use the Signet Classic paperback edition of Huckleberry Finn > and it contains three other major American works. But I loan my students > my copies of the definitive edition of HF published from the Mark Twain > Project that I myself have paid for without asking for school > reimbursement. The students can highlight in them and the definitive > edition’s explanatory notes, maps, and illustrations are appreciated by > them. > > > > I am sorry I don’t have any ready suggestions to launch a funding effort > or find additional grants for your Twain Live series. Perhaps the alumni > of Trenton HS could be solicited for supporting the series for the sake of > the current students, but I certainly don’t any of the political and > administrative ramifications in this regard. > > > > John > > > >> On Mar 27, 2021, at 11:22 AM, Alan Kitty <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > >> > >> John- When asked, Trenton HS students will agree with an assessment > that HF, and by extension MT, is racist. I know of no deep dive into > related material that could change that perception. I have even offered to > place Twain himself In the line of fire. But as a practical matter Seton > Hall has a budget to do that. Urban public schools do not. > >> > >> We lack staff to launch a funding effort or find additional grants for > our Twain Live series. > >> > >> Suggestions? > >> > >> Alan Kitty > >> Mark Twain Education Society > >> > >> Don’t ask ‘for whom the bell tolls’. It’s your email and no one else > cares. > >> > >> Sent from my iPhone > >> > >>> On Mar 27, 2021, at 11:04 AM, John R. Pascal <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > >>> > >>> Hi Mr. Shannon, > >>> I can only offer my own classroom experience in teaching Huckleberry > Finn in the last fourteen years to high school juniors. > >>> I take effective time with them to review Dr. R. Kent Rasmussen’s > entries in his Critical Companion as to the N-word, slavery, African > Americans, pertinent portions of Twain’s life showing his changing views on > slavery, the history of the work’s reception by the public (they laugh at > Concord Public Library’s reaction and cheer at Twain’s reaction to it), and > his helping to pay for the Yale University Law School education of Walter > T. McGuinn. In short, showing that Twain and his opus are not racist. > >>> If you haven’t already done so, may I suggest you read his entries > that are excellently comprehensive and enlightening. > >>> I also offer that some musical rap artists use the word in their > works, and apparently there is little outcry in contrast to that of > Huckleberry Finn. I suggest that this is the price of free speech in our > society. > >>> Additionally, I put forth that the oral reading and discussion of the > word is strictly in an academic context. Nothing more. > >>> I ask that they only think and reflect on all I have shown them, > particularly when they know that all this information is certainly not > generally known in most, if any, high schools in our country. This is > giving them the very much needed “big picture." > >>> Finally I state that if anyone has any problem with the word for any > or even no reason, just to tell me privately and without question it won’t > be used. > >>> As a result, I am fortunate to say that they are fine with reading and > discussing Huckleberry Finn as it is, and when a student just says “N-word” > when reading the dialogue, I do not correct him at all. In a classroom in > which respect is paramount for each student, no one gives a taunting remark. > >>> If any teacher can’t teach the work because of this word, then I would > urge them to certainly use the NewSouth publication that changes the word > to “slave." > >>> Lastly, they are shocked and appalled that Huckleberry Finn has been > banned in some school districts. In fact, I warn them that they at best > attend local public Board of Education Meetings. It is likely that their > own younger siblings and one day their own children will come home and be > told they can’t read a book in school because a small number of parents > complained. The Board easily avoids a lawsuit by simply changing the book > selection, and then the majority of parents find out after it is too late. > >>> You could go to the American Library Association’s website of banned > books. The titles and reasons might shock you as well. > >>> > >>> Respectfully, > >>> John Pascal > >>> Seton Hall Preparatory School > >>> West Orange, NJ > >>> > >>>> On Mar 27, 2021, at 8:39 AM, Clay Shannon <[log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote: > >>>> > >>>> I have vacillated a little over the years regarding what I thought > about "the 'N' word" being used in Twain's magnum opus, Adventures of > Huckleberry Finn. > >>>> > >>>> For the most part, I have been for remaining true to the original > (rather than replacing it with the word "slave" or something else), and > educating people about why the word was used by Twain in that book, and how > common it was then, etc. > >>>> In the same way, I don't like it when historical movies/tv shows have > people using "the 'F' word" and other anachronisms when that word was > rarely, if ever, used in the time and place being depicted. The "excuse" > the apologists of such usage give is that if they were to be completely > precise as to how people spoke back then, their vitriol would not be > conveyed, but rather sound like something grandma might say when she > dropped her thimble. I think for the most part it's preferable to either > give the audience the benefit of the doubt or educate them, so that they > understand the import and impact of what is being said, even if it sounds > quaint or even comical to some today. > >>>> However, something occurred yesterday that gave me pause regarding > "the 'N' word" in Huck Finn: > >>>> I have a very good friend who is "black." We have been discussing > literature (via the mail) a litt/e lately. He recently read "Huck Finn" (he > liked it a lot). After a little back and forth about it, this is what he > had to say in yesterday's letter: > >>>> > >>>> ///As for Mark Twain, I agree. He DOES NOT promote slavery. I think > people have more of an issue with the "n" word. I'm all for historical > accuracy in literature and in fiction but the issue is, should it be read > in schools? > >>>> If I was the only black kid in a white classroom could you imagine > the embarrassment I'd feel if we read the "n" word over and over and over > again? Or worse, what they would call me at recess?/// > >>>> That was an epiphany for me. Perhaps this is a case where "the > perfect is the enemy of the good," as there are probably two possibilities > for Huck Finn being available in the classroom henceforth: > >>>> 1) The "N" word is replaced with something else, maybe "slave" or > "negro" (perhaps with an explanation in the foreword and/or verbally by the > teacher at the start of the class reading it as to why "the 'N' word" was > used in the original, and why it is being replaced)2) It's not available at > all > >>>> Perhaps replacing the problematic word may, after all, be more in the > spirit of what Twain wrote. In this instance, although it would not be a > completely precise version of the book (if "the 'N' word" were expurgated), > it would be the kind thing to do, considering how it might affect some of > the hearers/readers. > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> - B. Clay Shannon > > >