Mark Twain: Literature for Every Generation

Many thanks for your Dec. 1 editorial on Samuel Clemens, “Like His River, He Rolls On.” Having been born in Hannibal, Mo., and having had the enjoyable experience of attending school with Clemens’ great-grandnieces in St. Louis, I was immersed in Clemens lore long before I became an early American literature major at Cal. He has always been a favorite of mine and is one that I have been asked to explain in countless English classes for young freshmen and sophomores trying to find relevancy in “Huck Finn” for the youth of today. (As our first “flower child,” Huck is also a favorite of mine.) The tremendous insight, albeit through wry humor, that Mark Twain has left for all generations to read, and with which to relate, can never be understated.

Patricia McIntosh

Hacienda Heights

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I am a student at Cal State Northridge. As I high school student, I read Twain’s books about Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer and Becky Thatcher. Many students did not want to read them because of certain language used in the books. I thought his books were great. They were real. In some schools across the nation they have been banned. It is sad that great works of art have been, and will be, lost to political correctness. We should read his works within the context in which they were written. Twain did say everything like it was.

People have a hard time reading things that bluntly state the facts. They tend to like euphemisms. I found this editorial interesting, and I think more people should read Twain’s works because he truly revolutionized American literature.

Stacy Krueger

Winnetka