In writing about Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on the 100th anniversary of its 1885 publication, Henry Nash Smith remarked that the novel ""made vernacular language, with its new sources of pleasure and new energy, available for American prose and poetry in the twentieth century."" This volume of essays examines what made this vernacular so groundbreaking, as well as the controversy that still surrounds one of the first Great American novels.Each essay is 2,500 to 5,000 words in length, and all essays conclude with a list of ""Works Cited,"" along with endnotes. Finally, the volume's appendixes offer a section of useful reference resources:About This VolumeCritical Context: Original Introductory EssaysCritical Readings: Original In-Depth EssaysFurther ReadingsDetailed BibliographyDetailed Bio of the EditorGeneral Subject Index