Hey there Novel Spirits! It's Archimedes. I really enjoyed our most recent meeting, and, having now been properly chastised, I am back on the blogging wagon. This entry will be short and sweet, owing primarily to my abysmal note taking.
Huck Finn was a crowd-pleaser, and garnered rave reviews from even our pickiest readers (yes, I'm talking about you, Baron). I believe all of us gave it 5 stars. A good portion of our book discussion was just talking about parts of the book that we found amusing, because a good deal of the book's charm is the way it is told through Huck Finn's unique perspective. Like many children, Huck's observations are spot on and refreshingly honest.
We did discuss some of the heavier aspects of the book. The book was banned at one time, due primarily to the use of a particularly offensive word. This led us to a discussion about the book's treatment of slavery and race, particularly noting how Huck reflected the ideas of the time through the lens of a child. For example, when Jim risks his life to help save Tom Sawyer's life Huck says that he knew Jim was "white inside."
Indy and JB pointed out some of the "cameo" appearances in the book, the soliloquy from Hamley, the Hatfield's and the McCoys, and the young female poet who writes about death - a parody of Julie A. Moore (so I learned for the following article: 10 Facts About "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." We also discussed some of the symbolism of the book, such as the river being symbolic for the passage through life.
Other observations that were among the lucky few that made it into my notes include: Huck Finn is widely considered the first American novel; we were impressed by Twain's use of the different dialects for the characters, although some were a tad difficult to interpret at first; Twain's knowledge of life on the river really shone through in the book; we were all glad that the con artists got what they deserved, but a little disappointed that Huck felt bad for them; and we really enjoyed Huck and Jim's time together on the raft, where they could really be themselves.
I'm sure there were many interesting points that didn't make it into my notes or this blog because I was enjoying the sunshine and "adult" lemonade, so feel free to add anything I missed in the comments!
Picky reader huh? I think the term you're looking for is "Literary Connoisseur". And the word connoisseur is very hard to spell. My first attempt in Microsoft Word was so far off that Word didn't even have any suggested changes for the word I typed. Dang.
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