Of the many conversations between Huck and Jim on their floating raft, one of my favorites is their discussion of how the stars came to be. Sometimes we’d have that whole river all to ourselves for the longest time. Yonder was the banks and the islands, across the water; and maybe a spark—which was a … Continue reading Huck and Jim, cosmologists
Huck Finn’s Evasion
I’ve been reading the annotations and introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn in his “Annotated Huckleberry Finn”. That edition is a tour de force, and entirely engrossing. You want context for Twain’s novel, you get it, in rich detail. Hearn is not a fan of the final section of the book, in which Tom Sawyer concocts … Continue reading Huck Finn’s Evasion
Huck and the ladies
Finishing "Huckleberry Finn," it struck me that there's no romance in the story, not even a steady female character. So in this respect the novel is somewhat similar to “Moby-Dick”, its main historical contender for the “title” of Great American Novel. But Huck doesn't quite go as far as Moby in casting off the ladies. … Continue reading Huck and the ladies
Finishing Huckleberry Finn
September 27, 2021 I’ve finished “Huckleberry Finn,” and I want to go straight to the controversial ending, in which Tom Sawyer reappears. It’s painful to read of all that Jim is subjected to, all because Don Quixote – excuse me, Tom Sawyer – feels the need to stage a dramatic rescue of the kind that … Continue reading Finishing Huckleberry Finn
22 chapters into Huckleberry Finn
September 24, 2021 I’ve read seven more chapters of "Huckleberry Finn," and in that short space we’ve got two very dark episodes: the feuding clans that are rather quickly annihilating themselves, and a near-lynching of a man who has himself committed a cold-blooded murder of a drunk. All of this violence is told in a … Continue reading 22 chapters into Huckleberry Finn
Starting Huckleberry Finn
September 23, 2021 I’ve taken years to read "The Adventure of Huckleberry Finn", because of its darn reputation. The back cover of my 1985 Penguin edition quotes Hemingway’s famous line, “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn”. Further down we read that “Of all the contenders for the title … Continue reading Starting Huckleberry Finn
Tom Sawyer
Having read Laura Ingalls Wilder's “Little House” books earlier this year, and now reading “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” for the first time, it seems to me that Mark Twain produced for boys’ childhood something similar to what Wilder did for girls. Both have produced an idealized but recognizable memory of childhood in a time … Continue reading Tom Sawyer
The Time Machine
My son recently read a kids' edition of H.G. Wells' "The Time Machine," and our house has been busy with this story in various forms. I read the novel some 15 years ago and it remains a favorite. I've also seen both of the major adaptations, from 1960 and 2002, and my son and I … Continue reading The Time Machine
Little Women
The following things about Louisa May Alcott's “Little Women” have surprised me: it’s a very Christian work; it’s ridiculously funny; and tremendously erudite. The movies of “Little Women” that I’ve seen don’t give a sense of the following things: it’s a very Christian work; it’s ridiculously funny; and tremendously erudite. (To be more precise, it’s … Continue reading Little Women
Pilgrim’s Progress
I picked up “Pilgrim’s Progress” only because I was reading “Little Women,” which I found made constant reference to Bunyan’s earlier novel. So I put down Alcott and started “Pilgrim,” and it was a mixed experience – riveting in many places, but often hard-going. As often happens when I pick up a new author, the … Continue reading Pilgrim’s Progress
