Welcome from your moderator

[fanuzzir]

This promises to be an exciting adventure for all of this, as we try to read a classic alongside an exciting new reinvention. I'll be proposing some topics for the discussion of Huck Finn, in consultation with John Clinch, the author of Finn, and then adding my insights as a contributor to the second half of the discussion, as it moves to focus more in on Finn. I'll let you all know that I deeply love Twain's novel, and can recall long passages that made my life as a reader of American literature, so I, like most of you, have a deep stake in seeing the life story of Huck's unforgettable father finally told.

[JesseBC]

Yea! Fan is here! Cool!

Say, since you're here, I can ask you -- what's going on with The Jungle boards? I thought the idea of the new forums was that the conversations would continue beyond the designated month. Yet I seem to be all by myself over there. I was really hoping to pick your brain further on the later parts of the book. Are you coming back?

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fanuzzir wrote:
This promises to be an exciting adventure for all of this, as we try to read a classic alongside an exciting new reinvention. I'll be proposing some topics for the discussion of Huck Finn, in consultation with John Clinch, the author of Finn, and then adding my insights as a contributor to the second half of the discussion, as it moves to focus more in on Finn. I'll let you all know that I deeply love Twain's novel, and can recall long passages that made my life as a reader of American literature, so I, like most of you, have a deep stake in seeing the life story of Huck's unforgettable father finally told.

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[ziki]

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JesseBC wrote: I thought the idea of the new forums was that the conversations would continue beyond the designated month. Yet I seem to be all by myself over there.

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I am also uncertain about that (in connection to other books) and will bring the subject over to the help board to ask the admins under the same headline.

ziki

[ziki]

Thanks for the welcome, Bob.

"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".(AOHF, chapter 1)
So begins the narration. And I wonder: is it recommendable or necessary to read T.Sawyer first or can AOFH be read as a separate book without loosing too much continuity? I think I read both books as a kid but contrary to many others I do not remember many details.

thanks
ziki

[JesseBC]

I'd say Huck Finn can be read separately. Especially if you've read Tom Sawyer in the past or know even the simplest things about the story. I read them both has a kid and now I'm re-reading Huck Finn by itself and I haven't had any trouble with that. The references to Tom Sawyer will probably come back you, but, even if they don't, it's not a big deal.

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ziki wrote:
Thanks for the welcome, Bob.

"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".(AOHF, chapter 1)
So begins the narration. And I wonder: is it recommendable or necessary to read T.Sawyer first or can AOFH be read as a separate book without loosing too much continuity? I think I read both books as a kid but contrary to many others I do not remember many details.

thanks
ziki

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[ziki]

Thanks Jesse :-)
ziki

[fanuzzir]

Hey Jesse, yea I'll be back at the Jungle to get my brain picked. The arrangement is: the featured discussion is supposed to last a month, which means the Jungle was no longer featured as of early Feb. It's still there, though, to let people go back and carry on, shall we say, smaller discussions of uniquely motivated people. I'm still going back to Moby Dick, and that was supposed to end officially in late January but it just can't be killed. So whatever shows up with a picture on the Book Clubs site is usually the one they have featured (Huck for March; Walden for April). But if you go back to the original classic board, you'll see a Whitman discussion gaining steam, and that was "supposed" to be finished in November 07! (You can also use that all purpose board to start any random discussion you want.)

[fanuzzir]

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JesseBC wrote:
I'd say Huck Finn can be read separately. Especially if you've read Tom Sawyer in the past or know even the simplest things about the story. I read them both has a kid and now I'm re-reading Huck Finn by itself and I haven't had any trouble with that. The references to Tom Sawyer will probably come back you, but, even if they don't, it's not a big deal.

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ziki wrote:
Thanks for the welcome, Bob.

"You don't know about me, without you have read a book by the name of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer".(AOHF, chapter 1)
So begins the narration. And I wonder: is it recommendable or necessary to read T.Sawyer first or can AOFH be read as a separate book without loosing too much continuity? I think I read both books as a kid but contrary to many others I do not remember many details.

thanks
ziki

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I'd actually recommend against reading Tom Sawyer unless you are utterly unfamiliar with the plot and the characters. There are some similar characters and plots and settings, but it is told with much more of an affectionate regard for the permanence of home-town life and middle class family values. Twain savagely turns against these in Huck Finn.

[ziki]

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fanuzzir wrote:
Hey Jesse, yea I'll be back at the Jungle to get my brain picked. The arrangement is: the featured discussion is supposed to last a month, which means the Jungle was no longer featured as of early Feb. It's still there, though, to let people go back and carry on, shall we say, smaller discussions of uniquely motivated people. I'm still going back to Moby Dick, and that was supposed to end officially in late January but it just can't be killed. So whatever shows up with a picture on the Book Clubs site is usually the one they have featured (Huck for March; Walden for April). But if you go back to the original classic board, you'll see a Whitman discussion gaining steam, and that was "supposed" to be finished in November 07! (You can also use that all purpose board to start any random discussion you want.)

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IOW we keep you busy, Bob.
:-) ziki

[Ljo]

I just signed up this weekend and look forward to getting involved. I haven't picked up Finn yet, but hope to yet this week. I am a Twain fan, and classics fan overall. But this month I may be somewhat quiet as I get a feel for this on-line type clubbing. I was hoping to find a face-to-face group but they seem to be a rarity. So I enjoy a chat and book-sharing line or two while at my local Barnes and Noble, and opt to delve into the on-line era of book clubs. Look forward to a fun, insightful experience.
Ljo

[fanuzzir]

Hi Ljo, and welcome to the club. I hope you pipe up every now and then. I'm laying out some threads that correspond to sections of the novel so that everyone will see a place to jump in, but there are also thematic discussions to join whether you have read up to a certain point or even if you have not started at all!

[ziki]

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fanuzzir wrote:... There are some similar characters and plots and settings, but it is told with much more of an affectionate regard for the permanence of home-town life and middle class family values. Twain savagely turns against these in Huck Finn.

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Do we know why he did that?

ziki

[fanuzzir]

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ziki wrote:

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fanuzzir wrote:... There are some similar characters and plots and settings, but it is told with much more of an affectionate regard for the permanence of home-town life and middle class family values. Twain savagely turns against these in Huck Finn.

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Do we know why he did that?

ziki

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Yes, we kind of do, with more accuracy than we would be able to claim with respect to most artistic decisions. Twain was not only a faithful letter writer but a good documentarian of his own artistic process. A memorable description of Huck Finn was that it represented a war between a sound heart and a guilty conscience and that conscience suffered a defeat. Sounds like we should be looking into Twain's personal and literary baggage, as we have done with other writers.