Mark Twain was a satirist
[quote="gRomoZeka"]
So you'll hardly see any adult with that book ("Huckleberry Finn") in hand. But as far as I know in USA people think of that books as of serious literature. Am I right?[quote="gRomoZeka"]
Yes, Huckleberry Finn is a standard lesson for college English class. It is also read in high school. The reason is that the story is a bold social and political satire that does not hide Mark Twain's contempt for the society he lived in; the story is a clear expose of racism, greed, hate, and hypocrisy. In this story it happens to be through the eyes of a child who was forced to grow up too quickly. And what makes the story entertaining is that Huck usually makes fools of all those nasty people!
Of course publishers and education institutions have means of hiding and dismissing such criticisms. I wonder if the Russian translations of the book have done the same?
Re: Mark Twain was a satirist
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siriusly
Of course publishers and education institutions have means of hiding and dismissing such criticisms. I wonder if the Russian translations of the book have done the same?
No, that was pretty clear. And I understood that while reading. I think they didn't hide anything because it kept withing the whole system of criticizing the capitalist system nicely. :wink:
You see, I grew up in the USSR and kids there where always made to "analyse" books. :roll: What does the author tries to say here? Why the weather is this and not that? And the answers "Because that's fun" or just "Because" were always wrong. :lol:
That's why we were accustomed to "read between lines", and if the criticisms were there we'd find them. That's why probably soviet censorship was so cruel. They saw criticism everywhere.
Sorry for long post about nothing. :lol:
Re: Mark Twain was a satirist
Quote:
Originally Posted by Siriusly
Quote:
Originally Posted by gRomoZeka
So you'll hardly see any adult with that book ("Huckleberry Finn") in hand. But as far as I know in USA people think of that books as of serious literature. Am I right?
Quote:
Originally Posted by gRomoZeka
Yes, Huckleberry Finn is a standard lesson for college English class. It is also read in high school. The reason is that the story is a bold social and political satire that does not hide Mark Twain's contempt for the society he lived in; the story is a clear expose of racism, greed, hate, and hypocrisy. In this story it happens to be through the eyes of a child who was forced to grow up too quickly. And what makes the story entertaining is that Huck usually makes fools of all those nasty people!
Of course publishers and education institutions have means of hiding and dismissing such criticisms. I wonder if the Russian translations of the book have done the same?
Yes, you're right. Huckleberry Finn can be read as a child, but an adult can find deep, rich satire against the American society of the time. This is why I consider it brilliant, and classic literature.
I have read it three times... first as a 7-year old (and thought of it as a story of boyhood adventure), and last, about 4 years ago (as a social satire and criticism). Each reading was unique and different.