Mark Twain S Adventures Of Tom Sawyer The Newsouth Edition

In a radical departure from standard editions, Twain's most famous novels are published here as the continuous narrative that the author originally envisioned. More controversial will be the decision by the editor, noted Mark Twain scholar Alan Gribben, to eliminate the pejorative racial labels that Twain employed in his effort to write realistically about social attitudes of the 1840s. Gribben points out that dozens of other editions currently make available the inflammatory words, but their presence has gradually diminished the potential audience for two of Twain's masterpieces. "Both novels can be enjoyed deeply and authentically without those continual encounters with the hundreds of now-indefensible racial slurs," Gribben explains.

In a radical departure from standard editions, the coming-of-age story that introduces Mark Twain’s two most enduring literary characters—Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn—is published here with its disturbing racial labels translated as “slave” and “Indian.” Everything else is completely intact in a novel that Twain termed a “hymn to boyhood.” Tom and Huck fish and swim in the Mississippi River, search for buried treasure, and hide in a haunted house. Around the edges of this idyllic boy-life, however, loom dangerous events in the fictional village of St. Petersburg: Tom and Huck witness a midnight murder in a graveyard, the killer escapes from the courtroom while Tom is testifying, and two sinister villains plot robbery and revenge against a wealthy widow. Readers can follow the boys’ adventures without confronting the dozens of racial slurs that are available in other editions of the book. The editor supplies a historical and literary introduction as well as a guide to Twain’s satirical targets.

In a radical departure from standard editions, Mark Twain’s most famous novel is published here with one disturbing racial label translated as “slave.” In seeking to record accurately the speech of uneducated boys and adults along the Mississippi River in the 1840s, Twain casually included an epithet that is diminishing the potential audience for his masterpiece. While dozens of other editions preserve the inflammatory slur that the author employed for the sake of realism, the NewSouth Edition proves that the main point of Twain’s masterpiece—the immense harm deriving from inhumane social conformity—comes through just as vibrantly without obliging readers to confront hundreds of insulting racial pejoratives. The editor’s Introduction supplies the historical and literary context for Twain’s groundbreaking book, along with a helpful guide to his satirical targets.

This coming-of-age story captures a vanished world of outdoor action and introduces Mark Twain’s two most enduring literary characters, Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. In a novel that Twain termed a “hymn to boyhood,” Tom and Huck fish and swim in the Mississippi River, search for buried treasure, and hide in a haunted house. Tom Sawyer falls for pretty Becky Thatcher, tricks his pals into painting a fence for him, and stages an elaborate prank on the schoolmaster. Around the edges of this idyllic boy-life, however, loom dangerous events in the fictional village of St. Petersburg: Tom and Huck witness a midnight murder in a graveyard, the killer escapes from the courtroom while Tom is testifying, Tom and Becky become lost in a labyrinthine cave, and two sinister villains plot robbery and revenge against a wealthy widow. This Original Text Edition faithfully follows the wording of the first edition, and the editor supplies a historical and literary introduction as well as a guide to Twain’s satirical targets

Perennially listed among the classics of American literature, Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885) broke new ground by allowing a teenage boy to narrate his own story. The son of a cruel town drunkard, Huck Finn vividly describes his friendship with Tom Sawyer, his resolve to run away from his abusive father, and his decision to join a runaway slave named Jim in a search for freedom. Jim and Huck’s days and nights on a raft floating down the Mississippi River form one of the most evocative stories of interracial bonding ever written, and the bizarre characters they encounter in their journey are memorably sketched. Though comical in places, ultimately the book warns about the price of immoral social conformity. Editor Alan Gribben explains the historical and literary context of Twain’s novel and vigorously defends it against the many critics who fault its language, relationships, and conclusion. Gribben also supplies a helpful guide to Twain’s satirical targets. This Original Text Edition faithfully follows the wording of the first edition.

Presents the texts of two controversial novels by an American master storyteller. Original.