Michael J. Berntsen

kalyraman,

Be careful of hasty generalizations. That word certainly had emotional impact to the population it affected. Many slave songs and early blues songs reflect people’s emotions connected to that word (Use “Jelly Roll, Bix, and Hoagy” for further reading. It was also not a proper word in public discourse. But, you are right in that Twain did not intend to reinforce the racism. His use draws attention to the dehumanization.

Awesome ideas. Have you or anyone read “Lovecraft’s Monsters?” That collection shows how Lovecraft continues to inspire artists and readers. One aspect, I’d be curious about how you feel about the diction. I hear a lot of people struggling with the diction. Would you ever want to see any kind of modern English versions of his stories?

You bring up a great reminder that anti-heroes have always existed. I see the trend to use anti-heroes as main characters or create main characters more in line with anti-hero traits coming form the “make it dark(er)” sensibility. (If I played a drinking game with how many times people say “make it darker” in a writing workshop, I would be dead). Modern Western audiences prefer to see their heroes flawed to make them feel better, in line with why people watch Reality TV or Jerry Springer (seriously, how is his show still on?). If Star Wars came out today, Luke Skywalker would be an anti-hero or, at least, have more anti-hero qualities. As a culture, we seem to be so disillusioned that we can’t conceive a pro-hero.