Mark Twain Video (34 minutes) Recommended by Mark Twain Forum and Media and Methods
	Scholars: Shelley Fisher Fishkin, David Lionel Smith, Justin Kaplan Contexts and Videos On: Twain and Race, Characterizations in Huck Finn, Reconstruction Also available on CD-ROM

 Few works in American literature address issues as timeless as those explored in Mark Twain’s controversial novel, Huckleberry Finn. In this program, three scholars, including noted Twain biographer Justin Kaplan, examine the work and its various themes—race, cruelty, consequences of greed, meaning of civilization, and the nature of freedom. The author’s life is traced from his days as a printer’s apprentice, riverboat pilot, and journalist, to renowned author. Twain scholars Shelley Fisher Fishkin and David Lionel Smith discuss African-American influences from Twain’s childhood that are reflected in the work, and suggest that these references, misinterpreted by readers, form the basis for charges that Twain was a racist. Incidents from his life, including his vehement anti-slavery and anti-racist articles couched in irony, provide convincing counterpoint to the charges. (34 minutes, color)