I am suddenly reminded of the nicely bound volume containing two books by Mark Twain, "Tom Sawyer" and "Huckleberry Finn," contained in a slipcover for protection, sitting on our bookshelf when we were children. And how could a household spy miss that? My mother recommended that we read these books and why not? Did mother not once take a college class on children's literature? Ok, so I did read these books containing a somewhat humorous account of the outlandish pranks pulled by Tom Sawyer even on his own parents who thought him dead while he was actually out spelunking with the town's worst rascals, those ne'er-do-wells with whom they probably would have preferred him not to associate. And of that juvenile delinquent Huckleberry Finn traveling along the Mississippi River on a flimsy raft with runaway slave Jim and a couple of strange characters. Yes, I did read these books, and also "Pudd'nhead Wilson" which was required reading in high school English class. Beyond that I cannot say that I am widely read in Mark Twain literature, just some bits and pieces here and there, some seen on television, enough to know something of the controversies surrounding Samuel Clemens.
Yes, I vaguely recall someone asking me about this but I cannot claim to have read Twain's Life on the Mississippi, although I do believe one of our high school teachers lectured on Twain in class in connection with our assignments, explaining how he took his pseudonym from the terminology of steamboat navigators to measure the depth of the water. The term "mark twain" meant two fathoms or somewhere around 12 feet deep.
Even so, you are not entitled to pose as the prim and proper New Englander Louisa May Alcott who severely criticized Twain. You are an imposter. We all have our opinions about books and Alcott might have a good point in some respects. You cannot take Mark Twain's example too seriously without suffering ill consequences, especially if you are poor like me. Yet you would find it very difficult to study American literature without at some time or another touching on the subject of Mark Twain and his many books and huge influence on 19th century life and literature. At the same time, there are many modern authors who would be doing life in prison if they actually did the things they write about. I mean, book titles with the word "Killing" have a certain edgy sound and yet if you really did that you would be very sorry.
So?
