Professor David Foster analyzes Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, looking at what the novel, its characters, and the life of its author reveal about the "American character" and views of American ideals and life at the time of its writing.

This lecture continues from the lecture Mark Twain and the American Character, Part One.

For the lecture, follow the link below and scroll down to the second seminar under Wednesday, August 4.

An older version of this lecture can be found here.

Professor David Foster analyzes Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, looking at what the novel, its characters, and the life of its author reveal about the "American character" and views of American ideals and life at the time of its writing.

For the lecture, follow the Website Title link and scroll down to the first seminar under Wednesday, August 4.

This lecture continues in Mark Twain and the American Character, Part Two.

An older version of this lecture can be found here.

This workshop "will bring together a distinguished team of humanities scholars who will provide an interdisciplinary exploration of Hurston’s life and work. They include a literary scholar who has written extensively on Hurston; a folklorist who wrote the application that placed Eatonville on the Historic Register; a Hurston biographer; the director of the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress, where most of Hurston’s folklife collection resides; and a colleague of Hurston’s in the WPA. Participants will examine Hurston’s accomplishments within the context of the historical and cultural development of the Eatonville community. They will grapple with compelling questions about how this unique black enclave fueled Hurston’s appreciation of folk culture, inspired her literary works, created her racial identity, and formed her sometimes controversial views on race." It will include readings, lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, and curriculum development projects. Specific topics will include "Hurston’s Eatonville Roots," "Inspiration for Hurston’s Racial and Gender Identity, Folkloric Research, and Literary Work," "The Harlem Renaissance and the WPA," "Humor and Religion," and "Fort Pierce: From Halcyon Days to Obscurity."

This workshop "will bring together a distinguished team of humanities scholars who will provide an interdisciplinary exploration of Hurston’s life and work. They include a literary scholar who has written extensively on Hurston; a folklorist who wrote the application that placed Eatonville on the Historic Register; a Hurston biographer; the director of the American Folk Life Center at the Library of Congress, where most of Hurston’s folklife collection resides; and a colleague of Hurston’s in the WPA. Participants will examine Hurston’s accomplishments within the context of the historical and cultural development of the Eatonville community. They will grapple with compelling questions about how this unique black enclave fueled Hurston’s appreciation of folk culture, inspired her literary works, created her racial identity, and formed her sometimes controversial views on race." It will include readings, lectures, discussions, visits to historic sites, and curriculum development projects. Specific topics will include "Hurston’s Eatonville Roots," "Inspiration for Hurston’s Racial and Gender Identity, Folkloric Research, and Literary Work," "The Harlem Renaissance and the WPA," "Humor and Religion," and "Fort Pierce: From Halcyon Days to Obscurity."