What an intriguing post (and so appropriate for a Twain list -- master
of dialogue/dialect)

When I teach literature to my community college students, I ALWAYS read
ALL poetry out loud to them -- and I can't tell you how many journal
entries I've read where the student says, "I just didn't get this poem
at all when I read it, but when you read it out loud in class, I
understood it/it made sense."  Poetry, and especially Shakespeare, was
meant to be heard, not read (although many poems are visually
stimulating as well) and I think the same can be said for a lot of
literature (a.k.a. novels, short stories, essays), ESPECIALLY Twain.
After all, isn't it all about language and how the words sound
together?  I know that even those students who are visual learners will
benefit from reading along and hearing the material.

Personally, I move my lips when I am reading something slowly that I
really want to understand and take notes about -- fiction is another
story.  How awful to be told not to do that and take advantage of
connecting all the parts of our language -- verbal, auditory, written --
together.
Again, just my two cents.

Thanks!
Renee L. Gross
Corning Community College