Chapter-9-Local-Colorism-Mark-Twain

Chapter9LocalColorism·MarkTwain··9/4/2020LocalColorism•Time:fromthelate1860sandearly1870stotheturnofthe20thcentury.•“TheLuckofRoaringCamp”byBretHartein1868markedasignificantdevelopmentinthehistoryoflocalcolorfiction.9/4/2020Definition•HamlinGarlanddefinedlocalcolorismashaving“suchqualityoftextureandbackgroundthatitcouldnothavebeenwritteninanyotherplaceorbyanyoneelsethananative.”[p.130]9/4/2020Ultimateaim•tocreatetheillusionofanindigenouslittleworldwithqualitiesthattellitapartfromtheworldoutside.9/4/2020Climateforitsappearance•Socially:•westwardmovement;markeddifferenceindifferentpartsofthecountry,withtheEastassumingthesuperioraristocraticpostureandtherestofthecountrykeenlyseekingtheirculturalidentityandrecognitionoftheirlocalcharacter.•Intellectually:•Thefrontierhumorists(talltale)preparedtheliteraryground.9/4/2020GeneralFeaturesofLocalcolorism•Atendencytoglorifyandidealizeandhaveanostalgicfeelingtothepast•Minutelyaccuratedescriptionsofthelifeoftheregionsandtruthfuldepictionofthecommonpeople.9/4/2020Somerepresentativelocalcolorists•BretHarte(1836—1902),thefirstAmericanwriteroflocalcolortoachievewidepopularity.TheLuckofRoaringCamp,Tennessee'sPartner•HarrietBeecherStowe,OldtownFolks,UncleTom'sCabin•HamlinGarland,Main-TraveledRoads•SarahOrneJewett,Deephaven•KateChopin,TheAwakening•MarkTwain9/4/2020•Atalltaleisastorywithunbelievableelements,relatedasifitweretrueandfactual.Somesuchstoriesareexaggerationsofactualevents.9/4/2020MarkTwain(1835-1910)9/4/2020LifeSamuelLanghorneClemensBroughtupontheMississippiRiverPrinter,PilotandJournalistAmerica’sforemostcelebrityTragiceventsofhislaterlife9/4/2020WorksTheCelebratedJumpingFrogofCalaverasCounty(1865)TheInnocentsAbroad(1869)Roughingit(1872)TheGildedAge(1873)TheAdventuresofTomSawyer(1876)ThePrinceandthePauper(1882)9/4/2020LifeontheMississippi(1883)TheAdventuresofHuckFinn(1884)AConnecticutYankeeinKingArthur’sCourt(1889)TheManCorruptedHadleyburg(1900)TheMysteriousStranger(1916)Autobiography(1924)9/4/2020Fromoptimismtodeterminism•MarkTwainwasessentiallyanaffirmativewriter,buttowardthelatterpartofhislife,hebecameincreasinglyviolentinhiscensureofmanandhissociety.9/4/2020•Hismajortheme:lifeontheMississippiandintheWest.•Hisbestwork:TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn,asuccessfromitsfirstpublicationandalwaysoneofthegreatbooksofWesternliteratureandWesterncivilization.9/4/2020Reading:TheAdventuresofHuckberryFinn•SequeltoTheAdventuresofTomSawyer•FocusesonthehypocrisyofslaveryandtheSouth•Bothaworkofhumorandserioussocialcommentary(moralandracisltensions)•Pointofview:Huck’spointofview,althoughTwainoccasionallyindulgesindigressionsinwhichheshowsoffhisownironicwit.•Tone:Ironic,mocking,contemplative9/4/2020Setting•Around1850,beforetheCivilWar•AlongtheMississippiRiver•Jim,HuckFinn9/4/2020Characters•HuckleberryFinn•Jim•TomSawyer•Thedukeandthedauphin•WidowDouglasandMissWatson•Pap•SilasandSallyPhelps•AuntPolly9/4/2020Bildungsroman/Anovelofinitiation•ThedevelopmentofHuckfromadolescencetomaturity:Step1:HuckstartsbybelievingthatBlacksarebynaturelowerthanwhites.Step2:Huck’sinnerstrugglebetweenhissenseofguiltinhelpingJimtoescapeandhisbeliefthatJimisahumanbeing.Step3:HuckacceptsJimnotmerelyasahumanbeingbutalsoaloyalfriend.9/4/2020Themes•Freedom•Friendship•MaturationandDevelopment•Hypocrisyof“civilized”societyvs.theinnocenceofNature•Love•Racismandslavery9/4/2020Symbols•TheMississippiRiver•Theraft9/4/2020WritingFeaturesandStyles•Humorandsatire•Localcolor•Amasteroflanguage•Firstpersonnarration9/4/2020Analysis[pp.136-137]A.Universaltheme:humanismultimatelytriumphsB.Language(colloquialstyle)9/4/2020Evaluation1.Representlifethroughportraitsoflocalplacesheknewbest;2.oneofhiscontribution:madecolloquialspeechanacceptedliterarymedium[p.138];3.Asocialcritic,anoutstandinghumoristandsatirist.9/4/2020DifferencesbetweenHowells,JamesandTwainHowellsJamesTwainThemeMiddleclasslifeUpperreachesofAmericansocietyThelowerstrataofsocietyTechniqueGenteelrealismPsychologicalrealismLocalismandcolloquialstyleThankYou