30-Day Book Challenge: Day 17

Day 17: "Important" Book That You Have Read

Boy, did I have a fun time picking this one.

    Because of all my high-school English classes, I feel like I have read many "important" books: The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, Animal Farm, and so on. I decided to pick The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn because it is an "important" book that I actually enjoyed.

    I suppose I should be bothered by the generous use of the n-word; after all, it seems that pretty much every parent in the United States is against this book for that very reason. However, I am not joining that bandwagon. I own the Barnes & Noble Classics edition of Huckleberry Finn, and I do not remember who wrote the introduction, but whoever wrote it believes that the n-word was meant to be affectionate, not derogatory. I think I agree with that sentiment.

    Also, Jim's dialect was not confusing to me, as it would likely be to many high-school students. Not most, but many. I think it helps that my copy of the book includes footnotes, and while most of Jim's words do not have footnotes, the most bizarre words do have them. (Eg. "gwayne" = "going.") The dialect actually excited me. It was the first time I ever read something with such out-there-different dialect, and the challenge was very stimulating.

    I actually read this book two years before my classmates did. It was required reading for junior-year English, which was American literature. However, I decided to read the book early in my freshman year for an English project. (I definitely got more out of the book for the junior-year reading.)

    If you're wondering why I decided to read the book as a freshman, I can answer that question. It's my Elijah Wood fanhood again. I learned when I was probably in middle school that Elijah Wood had the titular role in Disney's The Adventures of Huck Finn when he was twelve. 

    My junior-year English class ended up watching that same movie. I'm still not sure what to think of it. It was a fairly unfaithful Disney-fied adaptation that got rid of any racist dialogue, and Jim's dialect was not the Minstrel-show type written by Mark Twain; Jim talked normally. On the other hand, twelve-year-old Elijah Wood was an absolute delight to watch. His eyes were every bit as astounding then, and his acting was still very impressive.

    I like to think I have read a fair number of "important" books, but The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is one of my favorite "important" ones, so I opted to showcase my interest in that book today. So there.