On the cool and rainy evening of Saturday, September 12, the complete shewdness gathered at Dr Karb's to mark our milestone 150th meeting. The evening began by donning the commemorative "150th Book" vests and signing a card for Doc's wife, Beth. Johnny Cash's "Big River" played in the background as beers were cracked, photos shot (thanks, Julie!), friendships rekindled, and some preliminary Twain comments and insights were offered. I personally enjoyed a St. Lupulin Extra Pale Ale while Hood River Full Sail IPA was also a popular choice.
As always, we ate and drank very well. Appetizers included figs stuffed with Maytag (sp) bleu cheese and a sumptuous bruschetta. To complement the grilled flesh of our choice, a pasta with garden ripe tomatoes and basil, as well as a squash with sweet corn, tomatoes, and basil side dish were provided. Dessert was a peach pie and a wee dram of Glenlivet 12 year.
Before the meal, John intoned an inspired reading of Seamus Haney's poem, "Betweem my finger and thumb. . ." Then, we dove into Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in earnest. I'd have to say this American classic received "thumbs up" all around from those of us who've shared Huck and Jim's river journey countless times in the classroom and those who were re-reading it years later, or reading it for the first time.
We could appreciate how Twain wrote out of what he saw, what he lived, and what he believed. We liked all of the social commentary, the humor, and the adventure story aspects. Tim shared biographical highlights of Twain's life that helped inform our reading and discussion.
We liked the nuances of Jim and appreciated him as the heart and soul of the novel. Points of comparison were raised between McCarthy's Blood Meridian and Huck Finn as both "true tellings" of American history. Huck takes Colonel Sherburne's "the average man's a coward" speech to heart and ACTS after Jim is sold by the King and the Duke. Huck's act mirrors Twain's view toward blacks and he too would "go to hell" for them.
I appreciated talking about the book and not having to teach it for a change. It may be trite to even say it, but a good time was had by all, and Twain's novel was indeed worthy of the milestone.
On to year sixteen and book 175!
