A Canonical Narrative As Rhetoric

This paper makes a study of American novelist Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in terms of the theory of narratology.It consists of three chapters, mainly from such perspectives as narrative progression, characterization and narrative manners.Chapter One examines the critical responses to Mark Twain and his novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, making the biographical sketch of the author and some traditional approaches to the novel.Chapter Two is an analysis of the narrative discourse of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is carried out in three aspects: progression and audience engagement; characters and characterization; narrative manners of the novel.Chapter Three discusses the position of the critics who argues that Mark Twain chooses a "cop out" way to end his story. This chapter attempts from narratological perspectives to show why it is necessary for Mark Twain to choose such an ending and why it is consistent with the rest of the book.The conclusion makes a revaluation of the application of the narrative as rhetoric to the novel, pointing out the shortcomings of the former narrative studies. It also contains some suggestions for future work in the study of the novel.