There is also the fact that it's really hard not to judge a work for having been written in a different time. You said that you found these books to be "quiant." Generally speaking, "quiant" simply describes something that has already been digested by our society. But, you see, it hadn't been "digested" yet by the society of Twain's time. Yes, he wrote to his contemporaries; he had no reason not to. Today, there is little any of us could write that would not equally reflect the time of our writing, as well.

As with most "older" works, I think Mark Twain's writing has to be understood from the point-of-view of the society in which the author lived. From that viewpoint, his stuff really is pretty exceptional.

I know what you mean.

It's like reading Alcott. I love Little Women and even books like An Old Fashioned Girl but the books are very much tied to the time-period. Twain is fantastic. Have you ever read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court? The short story The War Prayer is absolutely phenomenal.

Small addition on Twain - i like that he wrote from a childs perspective - Ageed re. moment where what is arguably Huck's 2nd conscience steps in - and he would rather go to hell then give Jim up. He is a little renegade - living outside the 'normal' structures of life on the 'frontier' - I love that the child is free to make his decisions empirically - thus allowing this 2nd conscience to make above decision. (1st conscience being the one that wrote the letter to the aunt in the 1st place).
Tom Sawyer not so great - more of kids book that garnered interest in the 2nd book i think.

Writing style is a key issue. I'm reading The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, which btw the only way I could get a copy was as an eBook. It reads (and probably deliberately so) like a book that was written 50 or more years ago. Personally I don't like it even though I am a big Stephen King fan. I suspect that it was written as a literary exercise in story telling.

Writing style is a key issue. I'm reading The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, which btw the only way I could get a copy was as an eBook. It reads (and probably deliberately so) like a book that was written 50 or more years ago. Personally I don't like it even though I am a big Stephen King fan. I suspect that it was written as a literary exercise in story telling.

Writing style is a key issue. I'm reading The Colorado Kid by Stephen King, which btw the only way I could get a copy was as an eBook. It reads (and probably deliberately so) like a book that was written 50 or more years ago. Personally I don't like it even though I am a big Stephen King fan. I suspect that it was written as a literary exercise in story telling.

A key point to remember about Twain, which I haven't seen written here, is that he is a satirist; in fact, he is one of the most effective American satirists in our brief cultural history. Huck Finn is more than just an adventure tale; it is a social commentary of the time that is still valid in some ways today. Twain not only develops the theme of the higher conscience (which someone mentioned in another post on this thread), but also expounds on the concepts of loyalty, prejudice, friendship, responsibility, innocence, and individuality. He does a thorough job of satirizing racism and Southern Christian cultural mores in the time period. Though this book can become a bit episodic, remember also that it was originally published as a serial in a magazine, much like Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities.
If you are interested in more direct satire by Twain, check out Letters from the Earth; it is a satire on religion- and humanity.
I have taught Huck Finn several times, and I have heard little complaint from readers once they begin to look for the social commentary and satire. Some are offended, others laugh out loud, but most see the sparkle of genius in its pages.