dc.contributor.author |
Ryser, Tracey A. |
en_US |
dc.contributor.author |
Youngstown State University. Dept. of English. |
en_US |
dc.date.accessioned |
2011-01-31T14:20:36Z |
|
dc.date.accessioned |
2019-09-08T02:33:16Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2011-01-31T14:20:36Z |
|
dc.date.available |
2019-09-08T02:33:16Z |
|
dc.date.created |
2004 |
en_US |
dc.date.issued |
2004 |
en_US |
dc.identifier.other |
b19594422 |
en_US |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://jupiter.ysu.edu/record=b1959442 |
en_US |
dc.identifier.uri |
http://hdl.handle.net/1989/6342 |
|
dc.description |
v, 112 leaves : ill. ; 29 cm. |
en_US |
dc.description |
Thesis (M.A.)--Youngstown State University, 2004. |
en_US |
dc.description |
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-112). |
en_US |
dc.description.abstract |
In addition to the tall tale, Southwestern humor, and the picaresque tradition,
Mark Twain was fascinated with and captivated by minstrel shows. He watched them as
a boy growing up in Hannibal, Missouri; he saw them performed when he worked in
California and even during the years when he was writing Huckleberry Finn from 1876 to
1884. Minstrel shows had a powerful and far-reaching impact on how white Americans
viewed blacks in Twain's lifetime, and we can still see the traces of minstrelsy in our
time as well in movies and in music. This thesis will examine to what extent antebellum
minstrel shows influenced Mark Twain's "great American novel," and how he used
elements from these shows to systematically undermine racist caricatures of African
Americans.
In Chapter One, I explain the history of the minstrel show as well as Twain's
experiences with and feelings about this entertainment form. I discuss the major stock
characters found in minstrelsy and the originators of "burnt cork" comedy, and I offer
excerpts from many of the most popular antebellum minstrel songs that Twain would
have heard. I also explain how minstrelsy handled the subjects ofrace and slavery. In
Chapter Two, I probe the multiple parallels between minstrelsy and Huckleberry Finn in
order to demonstrate how deeply entrenched Huck Finn is in minstrelsy, focusing on how
Twain adopts the minstrel show's tripartite structure, its comic dialogues, and some of its
major themes. Lastly, in Chapter Three, I discuss Twain's anti-racist intentions for the
novel by showing how Twain undermines negative minstrel show stereotyping
throughout the text, focusing largely on Jim's role and how other characters treat him. |
en_US |
dc.description.statementofresponsibility |
by Tracey A. Ryser. |
en_US |
dc.language.iso |
en_US |
en_US |
dc.relation.ispartofseries |
Master's Theses no. 0828 |
en_US |
dc.subject.classification |
Master's Theses no. 0828 |
en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh |
Twain, Mark, 1835-1910--Criticism and interpretation. |
en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh |
Twain, Mark, 1835-1910--Views on racism. |
en_US |
dc.subject.lcsh |
Minstrel shows. |
en_US |
dc.title |
"A white man's inadequate portrait of a slave" : minstrel shows and Huckleberry Finn / |
en_US |
dc.type |
Thesis |
en_US |