One Hundred Years of Huckleberry Finn: The Boy, His Book, and American Culture - Hardcover

"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is generally acknowledged along with "Moby-Dick" and "The Scarlet Letter" not only as one of the two or three greatest American fables, but also as a story that speaks perennially to the American experience, and it has generated some of the liveliest and perhaps most significant debates in American literary history. In 1985, the hundredth anniversary of the publication of the novel in this country, it remains controversial and provocative, even though a wealth of perceptive commentary has already been published. In twenty-five essays written specifically for this volume, a diverse group of scholars reassesses the novel's status in American literature and in contemporary American culture, reevaluating past scholarship and exploring new directions. Because the essays were written independently, they demonstrate enormous range in the approaches they take and the interests they address, but they share a freshness of perception that testifies to the continuing vitality of "Huck Finn" in the American imagination. As a study of an important novel, and more importantly as a biography of the book's first hundred years, this volume will be an essential reference for anyone interested in American literature or culture.