Senior college application process

Twain Research

1. Read three newspaper reviews of the novel when it first came out. Explain what he was praised for and for what was he criticized? (5 quotations minimum)

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/hucrevhp.html

2. Read about the first illustrator of Huckleberry Finn, , E.W. Kemble: what were his struggles and successes? His models and concerns/?What aspects of racism do you see in his own essay about the process of portraying Huck??

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/hfillcomp.html

and

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/colophon.html

3. View the different "Representations of Jim” throughout the past 150 years .

Explain how the pictures show the " persistence of racist stereotypes and the slow emergence of the conviction that Jim is a character whose humanity is the equal of Huck's or, say, Col. Grangerford's. "

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/jiminpix.html

4. Mark Twain gradually became a kind of folk hero. Look at the cartoons of him from Life Magazine and analyze at least 5 cartoons to get a sense of what Twain had come to represent for the American public. (Describe each cartoon and how it represented Twain.)

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/sc_as_mt/mtinlife.html

5. To get a sense of what Twain meant to the American public, read at least 6 obituaries and describe the emotional attitude towards him by his survivors as well as the facts mentioned about him:

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/sc_as_mt/funrobit.html

6. Twain is famous for his "zingers" - one or two line pity sentences that are humorous, satirical, and, occasionally wise.

Read the quotes on http://salwen.com/mtquotes.html

Choose ten of your favorites and paraphrase them.

http://salwen.com/mtquotes.html

7. Extra Credit (Up to 20 points extra)

Cable's inflammatory essay "The Freedman's Case in Equity"

George Cable traveled with Twain on the lecture/entertainment circuit. His lectures were educated, lofty, and intellectual. He wrote an article about freed slaves that rocked the South. Read the entire article, paraphrase it, and summarize it. Use at least 5 quotations in your summary.

http://etext.virginia.edu/railton/huckfinn/hfequity.html