At 01:46 PM 4/29/97 EDT, you wrote:

>Is DeVoto trying to be humorous? Does the first sentence from the intro
>to "Extract" even make sense?
> If this is
>humor, why does his tone not alter from when he is serious?
>Am I completely missing the point?

If you failed to miss the point, then I really made a fool of myself when
reading DeVoto's "Mark Twain's America," an answer to Van Wyck Brooks' "The
Ordeal of Mark Twain." Having read the latter-mentioned title, I read the
former and pretty near brayed like a jackass through the entire text. I have
no idea whether DeVoto was intentionally attempting to be humorous, but to
my mind he has a written deadpan style that can't be beat, not even with a
schtick.

I read the introduction you mention some time ago but do not have a copy
right now; however, I do remember being at least slightly amused.

Regards

Marc "Easily Amused and Unrepentantly Sophomoric About It" Koechig