Weird title, weirder main character, great novel.

Aside from getting them over the name, one of the challenges of teaching Pudd'nhead Wilson is the supplementary work needed to truly understand the novel. Students will benefit enormously from having a grasp on the book's historical and cultural context. This way, they'll see the things that are going down in Dawson's Landing, and get why. That means discussing slavery and racism in the South, which is admittedly a difficult topic.