Rivers meander, and so do travelers. More than 2,000 years ago, the “father of history,” Herodotus, investigated the causes of a war from the Nile to the Danube, collecting tales as tall as any fiction. Xenophon (left) marched optimistically toward the banks of the Euphrates, then fled, having chosen the losing side in a civil war. In the nineteenth century, Mark Twain created the immortal Huckleberry Finn and Jim, enacting the stresses that would bring America’s Civil War as they float down the Mississippi River.

This seminar brings together the history behind Twain’s novel and the fictions embedded in Xenophon’s and Herodotus’ histories. Because Twain wrote about Huck and Jim in two distinct (and perhaps unequal) parts, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn will occupy sessions one and four. The middle sessions will examine Xenophon’s Anabasis (401 bce) and Herotodus’ Histories (c. 440 bce). A reading list and copies of the books for discussion are available for registrants.

This four-session seminar takes place 

Thursdays
September 24
October 22
November 19 
December 17.

Registration is for all four sessions unless you indicate otherwise. How to Register

With questions, contact the Events Office at 212.288.6900 x230 or events@nysoclib.org.