Linda-- You might find useful Henry Nash Smith's discussion of "vernacular values" in _Mark Twain: The Development of an Writer_. It's an old book now (1962), but still valuable. Charles Crow Department of English Bowling Green State University Bowling Green, OH 43403 [log in to unmask] Charles L. Crow [log in to unmask] Department of English Voice mail: (419) 372-7556 Bowling Green State University Fax: (419) 372-0333 Bowling Green OH 43403