The Cambridge Introduction to Mark Twain

Abstract

Mark Twain is a central figure in nineteenth-century American literature, and his novels are among the best-known and most often studied texts in the field. This clear and incisive Introduction provides a biography of the author and situates his works in the historical and cultural context of his times. Peter Messent gives accessible but penetrating readings of the best-known writings including Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. He pays particular attention to the way Twain's humour works and how it underpins his prose style. The final chapter provides up-to-date analysis of the recent critical reception of Twain's writing, and summarises the contentious and important debates about his literary and cultural position. The guide to further reading will help those who wish to extend their research and critical work on the author. This book will be of outstanding value to anyone coming to Twain for the first time.

Rural Life in "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain

“…Despite not being one of those three, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain is a masterwork of American literature set alongside the Mississippi River. According to Messent (2007), the book is one of the best-known writings in American literature. Mark Twain describes some rural settings along the river in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn precisely, and some are not explicitly depicted.…”

Huck as a Perpetual Outsider: American National Identity in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

“…The codes of the American exceptionalist myth occasionally resurface in Huck's encounter with Jim. Accordingly, Messent (2007) argues that the "raft is not a place without conflict" and adds that it is "a fragile space, mown down by a steamboat, colonized by the king and the duke, floating downriver ever deeper into slave territory" (86). This paper's primary concern is to show that, on the one hand, a loving and caring relationship makes Huck and Jim transcend the imperatives of the American hegemony, while, on the other hand, some vestiges of the American exceptionalist ethos still remain.…”

“…It is still true that they challenge the dominant discourse and discard the imperatives of the dominant ideology when Huck is resolved to help Jim out of slavery at the expense of going to hell, and he takes the heed of his sound heart against the deformed conscience of the dominant hegemony. Messent (2007) points out that "Huck's decision to choose hell rather than to allow Jim back into Miss Watson's hands (for many critics, the climax of the book)" can be regarded as "an act of individual moral responsibility that counters any tendencies of the larger social environment to condition and shape his actions" (78). Nevertheless, it is also true that the civilization that they flee intrudes upon their friendship.…”