Important Note to Students

The HAMLIT assignment page is a convenience but not something to be dependent on. When possible, homework and reading assignments will be posted here, but you are expected to complete all assignments that are announced in class on time, regardless of whether they are posted online. If you are absent, or do not remember if there is an assignment, you will need to contact another member of class to verify what the assignment is. Neither I nor the site are responsible for your failure to complete this responsibility.

Friday, December 7, 2012

Congratulations! You are finally done with Romanticism!

We will be working with Mark Twain as we transition to Realism, which will include working with the novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although copies are available through the library to check out, I strongly recommend that you get your own copy so that you can take notes on your own text. Our first reading assignment will be due on Wednesday, so you have a few days to get a copy, either paper or electronic.

In the meantime, you will be discussing two other Twain stories on Monday and Tuesday. Here is the calendar for next week:

Monday: Discuss "The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" (509)
Tuesday: Discuss "Life on the Mississippi" (496)
Wednesday: Discuss Chapters 1-5 of Huckleberry Finn.

More information about Huck Finn reading below.

For our reading of Huckleberry Finn, pay careful attention to the following topics. I suggest that you mark these topics in your text (or on a post-it). If you want to be extra fancy, you can also color-code these different ideas in your notes.

Supersition
The role of the river
Women (and their influence on Huck)
Religion
Education
Class Consciousness
Racial Identity
Clothing
Money/Wealth/Acquisitiveness (wanting to acquire stuff)
Deception
Search for Approval
Protectiveness

Here is a link to an electronic copy, if you do not have your own yet.