Pynchon mention

[Elainemmbell at aol.com]

In a message dated 2/5/2003 9:12:39 AM Eastern Standard Time, 
malignd at yahoo.com writes:

> (And just an aside, speaking of comic novels; does
> anyone actually find Mark Twain funny?) 
> 

Interesting, and, to me, a timely question!  Story follows:

My 15 year-old is studying Huckleberry Finn this term and HATES it.  She 
asked my advice about how she coudl "learn to enjoy Mark Twain".  Sadly, I 
admitted to her that I have NEVER been able to get through this famous novel. 
 So I went to the library and borrowed the full 9-cassette audiobook of HF 
and had been listening to it while making dinner for a few nights just to 
give moral support...until finally I cracked and screamed "I can't stand this 
book!  Please make the bad man stop!"  I returned it to the library and took 
out Henry James' The American which gives me a small laugh every few 
paragraphs!  

Weirdly, when my teen happened to be listening in (she at the computer, me at 
the stove, HJ on the tape player) she pressed pause all of a sudden and said: 
 "Mom, my God, this is great!  Who is it?  Can I find stuff like this on 
line?!"  

When I started work this morning I found one document still open--a page full 
of quotations from The American which she'd taken from a full text online and 
was preparing to send to her friends!  I would NEVER have tried to introduce 
her to James when she couldn't make it comfortably through Twain--but look!  
Think she's ready to dig Thomas Mann?
Elaine M.M. Bell, Writer
(860) 523-9225
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