Latest news with #TheAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn
Axios
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Axios
New book tackles the legend of Jim from Mark Twain's "Huckleberry Finn"
A new book unpacks Jim in Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" — a fictional enslaved Black man who is one of the most memorable characters in American Literature. Why it matters: For more than a century, Jim has been a source of sympathy, ridicule, anger, and protest due to the Black dialect he uses throughout the novel, but scholar Shelley Fisher Fishkin says that he's been misunderstood. The big picture: " Jim: The Life and Afterlives of Huckleberry Finn's Comrade," released last month by Yale University Press, comes out amid renewed interest in the Twain character. Percival Everett recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for his novel, "James," which reimagines Jim from an illiterate enslaved man as often portrayed to a savvy and literate soul who has more agency. Fishkin tells Axios she wanted to explore how we've viewed Jim throughout the decades and how he has shaped American culture. The text in Twain's classic hasn't changed throughout the years, "but we've changed," said Fishkin, one of the world's top Twain scholars. Catch up quick: " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" tells the story of Huck, a young, uneducated white boy, and Jim, an escaped slave, as they travel together down the Mississippi River on a raft. The pair must avoid mobs of slave hunters and robbers along their journey and develop a sense of care for one another. The book uses racist epithets of the time, and Jim speaks in a language that critics say today resembles offensive minstrel shows in the late 1800s — all of which have generated demands for the novel to be banned. Yes, but: Fishkin says Twain was being subversive in the use of Jim's dialect and criticizing all the racist stereotypes with a humanized portrayal. "Jim is the smartest character in the book. It's a mistake to assume he's there to be ridiculed. In fact, he becomes a father to Huck," says Fishkin, who wrote the 1993 literature critic classic, "Was Huck Black? Mark Twain and African American Voice." Fishkin says Jim is a complex character who is really the first Black father portrayed in American literature. Zoom in: In her new book, Fishkin takes on the historical myths and models of Black men in post-Civil War America. She then gives us a rundown of the debates of Jim and the novel's use of racist language that have generated pushback from liberals and conservatives. Fishkin then presents the reader with an innovative exercise in one chapter, exploring what Jim would say about everything in his own dialect. She ends with a lesson on how some high school teachers are presenting the book today and what lessons can be learned when the book "is taught correctly."
Los Angeles Times
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, June 1
1. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press: $30) An unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond. 2. Nightshade by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown & Co.: $30) The bestselling crime writer returns with a new cop on a mission, this time on Catalina Island. 3. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 4. Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: $30) Two Floridians are plunged into a mystery involving dark money and darker motives. 5. My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (Ballantine Books: $30) A young writer in the late 1800s travels to South America to uncover the truth about her father. 6. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 7. Spent by Alison Bechdel (Mariner Books: $32) The bestselling writer's latest comic novel takes on capitalism and consumption. 8. My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: $30) The bond between a group of teens 25 years earlier has a powerful effect on a budding artist. 9. The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig (Orbit: $30) A young prophet takes an impossible quest with the one knight whose future is beyond her sight. 10. Anima Rising by Christopher Moore (William Morrow: $30) The tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter and an undead woman's journey of self-discovery. … 1. Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson (Penguin Press: $32) Inside President Biden's doomed decision to run for reelection and the hiding of his serious decline by his inner circle. 2. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can't control. 3. Who Knew by Barry Diller (Simon & Schuster: $30) A frank memoir from one of America's top businessmen. 4. Is a River Alive? by Robert Macfarlane (W. W. Norton & Co.: $32) The naturalist explores rivers as living beings whose fate is tied with our own. 5. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer on how to be a creative person. 6. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press: $45) The Pulitzer-winning biographer explores the life of the celebrated American writer. 7. Notes to John by Joan Didion (Knopf: $32) Diary entries from the famed writer's journal. 8. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 9. One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad (Knopf: $28) Reckoning with what it means to live in a West that betrays its fundamental values. 10. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books: $33) An insider's account of working at Facebook. … 1. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 2. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $19) 3. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 4. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $19) 5. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $19) 6. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Transit Books: $17) 7. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17) 8. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial: $19) 9. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial: $22) 10. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Grove Press: $22) … 1. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 2. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 3. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19) 4. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 5. Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joan Didion (Farrar, Straus & Giroux: $18) 6. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 7. Catching the Big Fish by David Lynch (Tarcher: $20) 8. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $36) 9. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13) 10. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17)
Los Angeles Times
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, May 25
1. The Emperor of Gladness by Ocean Vuong (Penguin Press: $30) An unlikely pair develops a life-altering bond. 2. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 3. Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen (Knopf: $30) Two Floridians are plunged into a mystery involving dark money and darker motives. 4. My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: $30) The bond between a group of teens 25 years earlier has a powerful effect on a budding artist. 5. My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (Ballantine Books: $30) A young writer in the late 1800s travels to South America to uncover the truth about her father. 6. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 7. Anima Rising by Christopher Moore (William Morrow: $30) The tale of a mad scientist, a famous painter and an undead woman's journey of self-discovery. 8. Audition by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books: $28) An accomplished actor grapples with the varied roles she plays in her personal life. 9. Marble Hall Murders by Anthony Horowitz (Harper: $31) Murder links past and present in a mind-boggling metafictional mystery. 10. The Wedding People by Alison Espach (Henry Holt & Co.: $29) An unexpected wedding guest gets surprise help on her journey to starting anew. … 1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can't control. 2. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 3. We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle (The Dial Press: $34) The guidebook for being alive. 4. Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (Penguin Press: $45) The Pulitzer-winning biographer explores the life of the celebrated American writer. 5. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (Random House: $30) A guide to the art of journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem and others. 6. Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (Flatiron Books: $33) An insider's account of working at Facebook. 7. I Regret Almost Everything by Keith McNally (Gallery Books: $30) The restaurateur relates his gritty childhood and rise in the dining scene. 8. Notes to John by Joan Didion (Knopf: $32) Diary entries from the famed writer's journal. 9. Everything Is Tuberculosis by John Green (Crash Course Books: $28) The deeply human story of the fight against the world's deadliest infectious disease. 10. The Creative Act by Rick Rubin (Penguin: $32) The music producer on how to be a creative person. … 1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 2. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 3. All Fours by Miranda July (Riverhead Books: $19) 4. Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Harper Perennial: $19) 5. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $19) 6. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (Berkley: $19) 7. Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin (Vintage: $19) 8. The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $19) 9. Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (Entangled: Red Tower Books: $21) 10. Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (Grand Central: $20) … 1. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 2. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 3. Rich Relationships by Selena Soo (Rich Relationships LLC: $20) 4. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17) 5. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $36) 6. The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion (Vintage: $18) 7. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 8. The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz (Amber-Allen: $13) 9. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 10. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19)
Los Angeles Times
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Los Angeles Times
The week's bestselling books, May 18
1. Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry (Berkley: $29) Two writers compete for the chance to tell the larger-than-life story of an heiress. 2. My Friends by Fredrik Backman (Atria Books: $30) The bond between a group of teens 25 years earlier has a powerful effect on a budding artist. 3. James by Percival Everett (Doubleday: $28) An action-packed reimagining of 'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.' 4. My Name Is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (Ballantine Books: $30) A young writer in the late 1800s travels to South America to uncover the truth about her father. 5. The God of the Woods by Liz Moore (Riverhead Books: $30) Worlds collide when a teenager vanishes from her Adirondacks summer camp. 6. Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall (Simon & Schuster: $29) A love triangle unearths dangerous secrets. 7. Audition by Katie Kitamura (Riverhead Books: $28) An accomplished actor grapples with the varied roles she plays in her personal life. 8. Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy (Flatiron Books: $29) As sea levels rise, a family on a remote island rescues a mysterious woman. 9. Silver Elite by Dani Francis (Del Rey: $33) Psychic gifts can get you killed in the first book of a dystopian romance series. 10. Strangers in Time by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing: $30) Two London teens scarred by World War II find an unexpected ally in a bereaved bookshop owner. … 1. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins (Hay House: $30) How to stop wasting energy on things you can't control. 2. Abundance by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson (Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster: $30) A call to renew a politics of plenty and abandon the chosen scarcities that have deformed American life. 3. Life of Your Dreams by Mark Pentecost (Mission Driven Press: $28) The billionaire entrepreneur reveals the seven steps that took him from surviving to thriving. 4. The Book of Alchemy by Suleika Jaouad (Random House: $30) A guide to the art of journaling, with contributions from Jon Batiste, Salman Rushdie, Gloria Steinem and others. 5. We Can Do Hard Things by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach and Amanda Doyle (The Dial Press: $34) The guidebook for being alive. 6. Notes to John by Joan Didion (Knopf: $32) Diary entries from the famed writer's journal. 7. Joy Prescriptions by Dr. Tiffany Moon (Legacy Lit: $29) The doctor and 'Real Housewives' alum on how to find happiness. 8. Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton (Pantheon: $27) A meditation on freedom, trust, loss and our relationship with the natural world. 9. Conquering Crisis by Adm. William H. McRaven (Grand Central Publishing: $26) The retired four-star admiral's personal stories illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis. 10. The Prism by Laura Day (Spiegel & Grau: $32) Seven steps to self-discovery and renewal. … 1. Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt (Ecco: $20) 2. Table for Two by Amor Towles (Penguin Books: $19) 3. One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune (Berkley: $19) 4. The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl (Random House Trade Paperbacks: $19) 5. Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar (Vintage: $18) 6. The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese (Grove Press: $22) 7. I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman (Transit Books: $17) 8. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver (Harper Perennial: $22) 9. Orbital by Samantha Harvey (Grove Press: $17) 10. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Anchor: $18) … 1. On Tyranny by Timothy Snyder (Crown: $12) 2. The Wager by David Grann (Vintage: $21) 3. The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (Knopf: $36) 4. Sociopath by Patric Gagne (Simon & Schuster: $20) 5. The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron (TarcherPerigee: $20) 6. The Art Thief by Michael Finkel (Vintage: $18) 7. All About Love by bell hooks (Morrow: $17) 8. The Last of His Kind by Andy McCullough (Grand Central Publishing: $22) 9. The Best of Me by David Sedaris (Back Bay: $22) 10. The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel van der Kolk (Penguin: $19)
Vancouver Sun
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Vancouver Sun
Review: Little Women at the Citadel Theatre full of engaging characters
Adaptations of classic works are tricky. In taking another crack at The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Jane Eyre or Anne of Green Gables, writers must convince an audience that the tale has contemporary relevance, while retaining enough connection to the original text to engage fans drawn to see the familiar story. In Jordi Mand's adaptation of Little Women, at the Citadel until May 25, the beloved characters of the Louisa May Alcott novel appear in all their comforting charm. Marmee (Nadine Chu) is wise and loving, though honest enough to avoid being Smarmee. Jo (Hayley Moorhouse) is rebellious and awkward, Amy (a captivating Christina Nguyen, who does double duty as the tittering Annie Moffatt) is fiery, though sometimes selfish… you know the drill. The challenge for this production, directed by Jenna Rodgers, is to bring forward the parts of the novel that still resonate with the audience 157 years after it was first published. The production opens with the performance of a play in which the March sisters struggle to realize the vision of its director and writer, the budding talent Jo. Soon, the character reveals the essence of this adaptation, as true today as it was in the beginning: What does it mean to be a woman? Throughout the play, an excruciatingly long three hours (with intermission), Jo tackles this topic in direct addresses to the audience. The other characters also reflect the issue. Meg (Donna Leny Hansen) wonders how to choose a partner after being pressured to marry into money to help her poverty-stricken family. What is a woman's purpose? How will we know when we have found our heart's desire, and will it be through love or vocation? Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The first act is stuffed full of familiar trials and antics. Father March (Steven Greenfield, who also plays professor Friedrich Bhaer) is a pastor and has gone away to serve in the American Civil War, leaving his wife to manage the girls. There is no money for Christmas presents, and the family gives away its Christmas morning breakfast to those in need. Meg and Jo go to a ball, where Jo and Laurie (Gabriel Richardson, who also plays Edward) feel a spark that might be friendship, or perhaps love. Amy takes pickled limes to school and is severely punished. The shy and sickly Beth (Erin Pettifor, who also plays Sallie Gardiner) connects over music with the grouchy Mr. Laurence (Troy O'Donnell, who also serves as Mr. Dashwood and Dr. Bangs). Hair is burnt, hair is sold. Amy nearly dies after falling through the ice. The numerous vignettes serve to stitch together the warm fabric of family life and emphasize the bonds of sisterly love. In the second act, the seeds of the story come to fruition, and the audience is fully drawn in, with marriage and career in sharp focus. While it's hard to imagine, it comes as a surprise (surely many folks have seen the Greta Gerwig-directed version released in 2019 if they didn't read the book in Gr. 4), there is a tragic death and a period of healing. Father comes back from the war as a different man, and yet, the family endures. While much has changed since 1868, it's fair to say that women still struggle with societal expectations (although now women are expected to do everything as opposed to nothing). Though marriage as an economic decision was obviously more common back in the day, couples still wonder how much emphasis to place on money in a relationship. Jordi Mand was commissioned to write the adaptation for a world premiere at the Stratford Festival in 2022. At least two respected critics said that the show was far too long, and yet, the Citadel production trudges in at a similarly interminable length. It's true that the story, loosely based on Alcott's own family and published in two parts as Little Women/Good Wives, is a challenge to adapt. There is a lot of ground to cover. But theatres are in service to their audience, and this production has not learned that lesson. Despite the bum-numbing duration of the show, which I saw on the last night of previews, the characters were engaging. Patricia Darbasie as the dreaded Aunt March was a hoot, while Steven Greenfield charms as Prof. Bhaer. Haley Moorhouse embodies Jo's restless soul, and the ending (with its giant heart-shaped spotlight on the final curtain) is a tonic for the world-weary among us. The question of how to be a woman is never quite resolved, but audiences will know where to look for their own answers. Adapted by Jordi Mand from the books Little Women and Good Wives, by Louisa May Alcott Director: Jenna Rodgers Where: The Citadel, 9828 101A Ave. When: Through May 25 Tickets: From $40 through the Citadel's box office at 780-425-1820, or online at Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don't miss the news you need to know — add and to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here. You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.
