Essays

Beaten Boys and Frantic Pets

A close reading of Tom Sawyer reveals why Mark Twain isn't nearly as funny as he thinks he is

By Adam Gussow | September 1, 2005

This article is not yet available online. To order a single copy of the print edition in which it appears, write to us at scholar@pbk.org or look for it on newsstands. To enjoy the full contents of each new issue of The American Scholar as soon as it is printed, please subscribe today and save up to 33 percent off the single-copy price.

Permission required for reprinting, reproducing, or other uses.

Adam Gussow, assistant professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi, is the author of Mister Satan's Apprentice, A Blues Memoir and Seems Like Murder Here: Southern Violence and the Blues Tradition.

● NEWSLETTER

Please enter a valid email address
That address is already in use
The security code entered was incorrect
Thanks for signing up