Manga Classics Adv of Huckleberry Finn - Hardcover

Twain, Mark

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 177294016X ISBN 13: 9781772940169

Publisher: Manga Classics, 2020

Synopsis

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn features the story of a young boy, chafed by the "sivilized" restrictions of his foster home, and weary of his drunkard father's brutality. To escape, 14 year-old Huck Finn fakes his own death and sets off on a raft down the Mississippi River. He is soon joined by Jim, an escaped slave. Together, they experience a series of rollicking adventures that have amused readers, young and old, for over a century. The fugitives become close friends as they weather storms together aboard the raft and spend idyllic days swimming, frying catfish suppers, and enjoying their independence. Their peaceful existence ends abruptly, however, with the appearance of the King and the Duke, an incorrigible pair of con artists who take over the raft. After many difficulties, Huck and Jim escape their tormentors, and with the help of an imaginative rescue by Huck's old friend Tom Sawyer, Jim gains his freedom. Manga Classics breathes new life into this American Classic with a faithful adaptation of Mark Twain’s masterpiece. Please note: We have maintained a faithful use of Twain's original text in this adaptation.

About this title

About the Author

Samuel Longhorn Clemens better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. After an apprenticeship with a printer, Twain worked as a typesetter and contributed articles to the newspaper of his older brother, Orion Clemens. He later became a riverboat pilot on the Mississippi River before heading west to join Orion in Nevada. His wit and satire, in prose and in speech, earned praise from critics and peers, and he was a friend to presidents, artists, industrialists, and European royalty. He is celebrated as the "greatest American humorist of his age", and William Faulkner called him "the father of American literature".

Review

Gr 7 Up –This installment of the series takes on Twain’s subversive adventure of a boy named Huckleberry Finn and a runaway slave named Jim. After faking his own murder to escape his drunken father’s cruelty, Huck flees on a raft with Jim along the Mississippi River. What begins as a reasonably harmonious life for the two is soon disrupted by the Duke and the King, two crooks who commandeer the raft. As the group struggle in their attempted cons, Huck faces moral dilemmas. He decides he must do the right thing and use his wits to find the way to freedom with Jim. Character designs are clean, attractive, and distinguishable. While the art tones down graphic scenes (the King and Duke’s punishment is depicted in silhouette; the fallout of a shooting is bloodless), the dialogue is mostly faithful to the original text. There are some helpful resources throughout, such as an explanation of the dialects, a guide to the differences between this adaptation and the source material, and a chart on how to read manga. VERDICT This strong adaptation stays true to Twain’s satirical storytelling while also turning it into a digestible introduction for readers. Use it to help students think critically about race and class.

The classic novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is given a new twist in this manga-style graphic novel. The original text is honored and preserved whenever possible though the context is occasionally altered in order to allow the format to work successfully. All of the major events and characters from the original novel are represented, and the graphic format displays Huck & Tom’s youthful quirks and misbehaviors especially well. The more intense components of the story are captured as well, though care has been taken to walk the fine line between a too-graphic representation and an altered version of the story. Twain’s full array of colorful language, including the “n-word,” as depicted in the original has been purposely maintained. A detailed end note from the editor explains the process by which the text was adapted, illustrated, and contextualized. For those schools and people who value the original text, this manga version offers a new way to explore a classic and may offer a more exciting or interesting option for reluctant readers to engage with a required text.

About this edition

• Publisher: Manga Classics
• Publication date: 2020
• ISBN 10: 177294016X
• ISBN 13: 9781772940169
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Chan Crystal