Westwood Historical Society Presents Huckleberry Finn with Terrence Earls

Mark Twain completed The   Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in 1884, having begun it in 1877 as a sequel to Tom Sawyer.  Twain had become a successful author of   humorous tales and books based on his experiences as a riverboat captain, miner, speculator, traveler, and journalist in Missouri, Nevada, California, and the Holy Land.  In Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Twain imaginatively returned to his boyhood days  in the 1840s in Hannibal, Missouri, on the banks of the Mississippi   River. 

What kind of a book is Huck   – A humorous, entertaining story written primarily for boys?  An out-of-date, racist novel?  Is it still relevant to America today, 129 years later?  Should it be considered one of the few great American novels?

These and other questions will be explored and discussed in a presentation by Dr. Terrence Earls, who recently retired as an English teacher and department head after 38 years at Westwood High.  Dr. Earls is the author of a dozen articles, including “Why We Should Keep Teaching Huck.”  A College of the Holy Cross graduate; he received his master’s from The University of Chicago and his doctorate from Boston University.  Dr. Earls resides in
Westwood.  He and his wife Joan are proud
parents of three grown children.

The program is free and open to the public. Please join us at the Fisher Schoolhouse at 830 High Street.