Huckleberry Finn
The Sequel
The Sequel
Your Subtitle text
Plot Notes
Once upon a time Mark Twain was placing final touches on his newest manuscript, titled Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. He ended the story with Tom Sawyer , Huck Finn , and Jim all agreeing to light out for the Indian Territory to go for " howling adventures amongst the Injuns."
Then Mark Twain wrote to his publisher to send him several books that were "personal narratives of life & adventure out yonder on the Plains ... especially life among the Indians. Send what you can find. I mean to take Huck Finn out there."
Mark Twain brainstormed Huck's incredible Indian adventure story as soon as he received one particular book, Our Wild Indians by Richard Irving Dodge. As he read this book brilliant story ideas formulated in his mind, and he wrote them down on the pages he was reading.
Incredibly, by the time Mark Twain finished writing in this book he had made over 350 notes! He never wrote that much in any other book! It so happens that Mark Twain was at the height of his creative powers and was continuing his masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Suffice it to say that these working notes hold the key to understanding Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its sequel, Mark Twain's composing process, Mark Twain's change of heart from scorn to respecting the Indians, and much, much more.
After Mark Twain died in 1910, some of his personal effects were auctioned off by his literary executor (his biographer Albert Paine). Paine placed the special copy of Our Wild Indians with Mark Twain's working notes for sale without ever bothering to read them. It was lot number 132 of the February 7, 1911 sale of the library and manuscripts of Samuel Langhorne Clemens at Anderson Auction Galleries in New York City. The auction house also never even bothered to read the notes! The description stated "...with marginal notes by the great humorist, and many passages marked by him for future reference. There are too many of these notes to quote in their entirety."
Then Mark Twain wrote to his publisher to send him several books that were "personal narratives of life & adventure out yonder on the Plains ... especially life among the Indians. Send what you can find. I mean to take Huck Finn out there."
Mark Twain brainstormed Huck's incredible Indian adventure story as soon as he received one particular book, Our Wild Indians by Richard Irving Dodge. As he read this book brilliant story ideas formulated in his mind, and he wrote them down on the pages he was reading.
Incredibly, by the time Mark Twain finished writing in this book he had made over 350 notes! He never wrote that much in any other book! It so happens that Mark Twain was at the height of his creative powers and was continuing his masterpiece Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Suffice it to say that these working notes hold the key to understanding Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, its sequel, Mark Twain's composing process, Mark Twain's change of heart from scorn to respecting the Indians, and much, much more.
After Mark Twain died in 1910, some of his personal effects were auctioned off by his literary executor (his biographer Albert Paine). Paine placed the special copy of Our Wild Indians with Mark Twain's working notes for sale without ever bothering to read them. It was lot number 132 of the February 7, 1911 sale of the library and manuscripts of Samuel Langhorne Clemens at Anderson Auction Galleries in New York City. The auction house also never even bothered to read the notes! The description stated "...with marginal notes by the great humorist, and many passages marked by him for future reference. There are too many of these notes to quote in their entirety."
The book sold and then fell into obscurity for the next 84 years until it resurfaced once again at another auction in 1995. Incredibly, this auction house repeated the same mistake originally made in 1911. Because there were so many notes, and the auction house was short-staffed and was actively seeking to fill the position of rare book cataloguer at the time, the importance of the notes in the book once again eluded detection.
But now that has changed. Mark Twain's plot notes and hundreds of other markings have been studied by Robert Slotta for the past twenty two years. Many important discoveries about Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn were made in the process, and are going to be revealed in his forthcoming book,
But now that has changed. Mark Twain's plot notes and hundreds of other markings have been studied by Robert Slotta for the past twenty two years. Many important discoveries about Mark Twain and Huckleberry Finn were made in the process, and are going to be revealed in his forthcoming book,
How Huck Fooled Hemingway Secrets to Mark Twain Mysteries Critics Couldn't or Wouldn't Tell You : The Essential Companion to Mark Twain's Autobiography.
