i don't teach huck finn as much as you teach gatsby. but every time i read gatsby with a class pretty much every time there's something new that comes out of the discussion with the studented. sure why not. the only thing that would trouble me about that equation is i don't see gatsby as tortured as hamlet is. gatsby even at the end of the novel, right before his death as nick is re-telling the story when he is seen, after myrtle's death, gals by is -- walks out the buchanan mansion at night keeping vigil. he wants to make sure that tom isn't going to hurt daisy. in retribution for myrtle's death, and he and nick look through the window and there's daisy and tom sharing a dinner of cold chicken and drinking beer and looking like they're conspiring. there's no need to keep a vigil under daisy. she and tom understand each other, they're both, as the book says careless people who hurt people other people, and things and leave a mess and expect other people to clean up the mess for them. after gatsby sees that, he gets busy trying to ration

this is 2015's answer to when tom sawyer and huck finn. >> that book is gone. you can't even get it. >> and that's probably the greatest book ever written in the english language. >> i want to go to joanne. do you know anything about

back in the day when scholars wrote about the american novel on a regular basis huck finn and gatsby were always a part of that conversation, and i think the reasons are obvious as to why. they should become even more obvious after this morning's panel. i am pleased to introduce maureen corp. michigan whose voice you may recognize. she's regularly on our radio, part of npr's fresh air broadcast, and she's also on the hutture faculty at georgetown university. go hoyas. [laughter] and andrew levy is the chair and professor of english at butler university -- go bulldogs -- [laughter] and i've asked them if i could put them on the spot to start things off. i've asked them to choose a favorite passage from gatsby and from huck finn and to read that passage for us and to ec plain why it's -- explain why it's significant to them and why it should be significant to us.

this is 2015's answer to when tom sawyer and huck finn. >> that book is gone. you can't even get it. >> and that's probably the greatest book ever written in the english language. >> i want to go to joanne. do you know anything about birthing babies? >> birthing babies? >> she doesn't get references. she is very young. she is extremely young. >> i will tell you i love this woman. she started this this 2009. shows a lot of commitment. sticking with it for five years, six years. six years there. >> that is a lot of projects. >> time to take a break. when we come back, someone with a great smile is turning 40. w'jr>ir >>> you will need a bigger boat. guess who turned tort. i will give you a hint. he eats quint. your favorite shark is 40 years young and he will celebrate by terrorizing this summer. will jaded young audiences be scared to go back in the water? we will know on june 21st when they will present special screenings in nearly 500 theaters. do you even know what i am talking about? >> i heard of sharks. >> from west side story. >> you have seen gone with t

huck finn. i did all those things. in that sense, i had a normal upbringing. later on, when all the other boys turned away from the -- from me, and there were very few jewish friends in the town i lived in -- nobody exactly my age, but there were some other boys close to me, but no more than two or three. the rest of my jewish friends i found in heidelberg, which was of coarse, large enough to have a large jewish population. that to some extent, made up for my not being able to associate with anybody in the town in which i lived. i have very fond memories, for instance, of this organization i mention, of going off into the mountains and going hiking sometimes for a few day trips, staying in youth hostels overnight. those were all things that sort of made my formative years quite interesting and to some extent, enjoyable. that went on even after the not cease -- the nazis came to power. it stopped when i was approximately 14. at that point, my father was no longer able to send me to high school, which required tuition. it was thought that for jewish young peopl

this is 2015's answer to when tom sawyer and huck finn. >> that book is gone.'t even get it. >> and that's probably the greatest book ever written in the english language. >> i want to go to joanne. do you know anything about birthing babies? >> birthing babies? >> she doesn't get references. she is very young. she is extremely young. >> i will tell you i love this woman. she started this this 2009. shows a lot of commitment. sticking with it for five years, six years. six years there. >> that is a lot of projects. >> time to take a break. when we come back, someone with a great smile is turning 40. [meow mix jingle slowly and quietly plucks.] right on cue. [cat meows] [laughs] ♪meow, meow, meow, meow...♪ ♪meow, meow, meow, meow...♪ it's more than just a meal it's meow mix mealtime. with 100% complete and balanced nutrition and the taste, textures and variety cats love, it's the only one cats ask for by name. boy: once upon a time, there was a nice house that lived with a family. one day, it started to rain and rain. water got inside and ruined everybody's ever