5.06 Mark Twain
" Father of American Realism"

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Born Samuel Langhorne on November 30, 1835, in the backwoods settlement of Florida Missouri, Mark Twain is the most celebrated humorist in American history. His ability to make us laugh has contributed to the singular popularity of his books, not just in Twain's own time, but in following generations. The great humorist is also ironically, the great realist. Behind the backwoods humor - especially in his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck's journey on a raft with the escaped slave, Jim - is not a "hymn to boyhood." It is a dramatization of the grim realities of a slave-holding society.

Although Twain became remarkably successful, his later life was shadowed by disappointment and tragedy; as he grew older, he turned into a bitter man.

Ernest Hemingway wrote that all American novels came from one great novel, and that novel was The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. This is a story of satire, adventure, friendship, maturity, and "history that still hurts." View the following video to find out more about America's greatest novel. Please be sure to take notes as you watch the video. Some key questions are provided for you.If you can answer these questions, you can answer the questions on the quiz.

• View The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn video.

• You may be asked for a username and password. If so, visit the materials list in the Course Information area.

• Open and answer the Huck Finn Questions as you view the video.

• how Twain uses dialect and humor in his writings.
• about American tall-tales.