Mike and others, Thanks for your responses to my question about Brock's book. By the way, I think it would be kind of wacky to ignore the fact that Twain and other authors of the day trafficked in stereotypes. In fact, we all still do traffic in stereotypes, only some of which we are even half aware of. Pap, of course, does not present a pretty picture, and to the extent Twain was putting him forward as typical of the Irish, he might be seen as offensive. On the other hand, I think Twain often used the inertia of stereotypes to make a point that ultimately subverted them. Historical fact: The Irish have been portrayed as drunks in many works of fiction, mmoveis, etc. That doesn't make it right, of course.