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The Innocents Abroad, Or, the New Pilgrims' Progress

Mark Twain

Start date: July 1, 2024

Finish date: July 31, 2024

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Aug 17, 2017 Chrissie rated it liked it

Shelves: classics, 2017-read, morocco, egypt, syria, france, turkey, travel, russia, greece

This armchair travel guide is based on an actual journey made by Twain in 1867. He was only thirty-two. It first came out in the New York Herald, peu à peu as he sent in his journal entries. Only later in 1869 was it published as a book. The excursion route can be seen here: http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/innocen...
By clicking on the map you are linked to the text in the book referring to the particular location. In this way you can check out Twain's writing.

So what makes this a classic, and why This armchair travel guide is based on an actual journey made by Twain in 1867. He was only thirty-two. It first came out in the New York Herald, peu à peu as he sent in his journal entries. Only later in 1869 was it published as a book. The excursion route can be seen here: http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/innocen...
By clicking on the map you are linked to the text in the book referring to the particular location. In this way you can check out Twain's writing.

So what makes this a classic, and why is it so highly praised? For its humor and Twain’s delightful knack at expressing himself. He has a way with words. He is opinionated, which is quite fun; he dares to say what he thinks. Some of his views are dated and quite simply not politically correct. One does have to keep in mind that the book was published a century and a half ago. On the other hand, many cultural tendencies do not change. You recognize these and smile at the kernels of truth that lie in Twain’s observations, observations made long, long ago and yet still valid. Not all, but some.

The book has historical content. There are tons of little tidbits that are interesting. According to him, Damascus is said to be the oldest city in the world, and some think even the Garden of Eden. Twain was at the second world’s fair, The International Exposition of 1867 held in Paris. He tells of us his experiences first hand. He and some others took another side tour to Odessa on the Black Sea and there met with the Russian Czar and Czarina, Nicholas and Alexandra, in their summer palace in the Crimea. He visited the Leaning Tour of Pisa. He tells us that it feels as though, if you go to the edge, you weight will topple it over. He and three friends sneak out of the ship moored outside the port Piraeus; against imposed quarantine regulations they go into Athens, see the Acropolis by moonlight, steal grapes, are chased and finally return to the ship by dawn. Such escapades transform interesting factual details into personal tales. Twain is perceived as a friend telling you of what he saw and experienced. He is relaxed; he speaks from the heart.

Twain wonderfully captures the essence of many, many places. What makes Paris Paris and Constantinople Constantinople? Versailles, Milan, Venice, Rome, Pompeii. Don’t forget to look at the map above!

The humor is intellectual. It is for those of us who have traveled and have themselves thought about cultural peculiarities. Twain pokes fun. Sometimes at himself and sometimes at others. His travelling companions cannot be bothered to learn the names of their guides so they call them all Fergusson! This they can pronounce. Yet this also shows their ridiculous sense of self-importance. In France, none of the French understand what they say, but it never occurs to them that this is due to their own inability to speak the language properly. Such is the humor. Humor circling around culture. There are pokes at the Catholic Church and the grandiose claims made in the travel guides of his time.

I had planned on giving the book four stars. I enjoyed it all the way through until the excursion arrived in the Middle East. Here I began to have serious trouble. Twain's prejudicial view of Arabs is disturbing, at least for those of us with a modern sensibility. From this point on his deprecatory views reverberate in all that he relates. In the latter third of the book his negative views become a rant. The humor became sour and repetitive. His distaste for Arab nations and people prevented him from appreciating what these lands could have offered him. His attitude just wrecks the fun. What began as a pleasure excursion of curiosity, exploration and discovery ends as a "funeral excursion without a corpse". These are his own words, found at the book’s conclusion. I feel they appropriately capture the book’s end. I must clarify that despite numerous tribulations no one died on the trip.

The audiobook is wonderfully narrated by Grover Gardner. Easy to follow and spoken at a perfect speed. The Americans speaking French are totally hysterical. This adds to the humor. The narration is just how it should be, and so have given it five stars.

This book is interesting and very funny. Unfortunately, that ends when Twain arrives in the Middle East! ...more

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Dec 31, 2022 Shirley (stampartiste) rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-author-twain-mark, challenge-bingo-2022, classics-500-plus-pages, published-1899-and-earlier, read-classics

This was my Mark Twain selection for 2022. As the subtitle to this book is or The New Pilgrims' Progress, I wanted to read it on the heels of just having read John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1684). While Bunyan's was a spiritual journey, Twain's journey was a physical journey to see famous historical and religious landmarks.

As a travelogue of Twain's trip to Europe, the Holy Lands and Egypt right after the American Civil War, this book was such a treat to see these places before they had b This was my Mark Twain selection for 2022. As the subtitle to this book is or The New Pilgrims' Progress, I wanted to read it on the heels of just having read John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1684). While Bunyan's was a spiritual journey, Twain's journey was a physical journey to see famous historical and religious landmarks.

As a travelogue of Twain's trip to Europe, the Holy Lands and Egypt right after the American Civil War, this book was such a treat to see these places before they had been permanently altered by globalization. Twain provided wonderful glimpses into the peoples, the places, the cultures and the mores of each place he visited. Each place was so unique, and it was obvious how much Twain enjoyed himself, often with his unique sense of humor.

Some of the most humorous passages related to his visits to numerous cathedrals and Christian holy places. He was always amused at how so many of these places held "the" thorn of crowns, fragments of "the" cross, "the" ashes of St. John,... He would say he didn't want to disbelieve, but it did make one wonder. However, his humorous observations were not intended to mock religion, as he himself was a believing Christian.

The sheer amount of artwork created by Italian artisans simply overwhelmed Twain. By the time he got to Florence and was told how much was credited to "Michael Angelo", Twain irreverently exclaimed, "He designed the Pope!" and "Say no more! say that the Creator made Italy from designs by Michael Angelo!" (There were times I wish I could have been one of Twain's traveling companions and experienced Europe alongside of him! That would have been a trip to remember.)

There is just so much history and interesting anecdotes in this lively 531-page book. I have only touched on a small part of the places he visited and the adventures he went on. I read it slowly and savored every page (even doing a little side research into what he was describing). I was amazed with Twain's vast knowledge at the age of 34. Several times, he would comment on how he had wanted to see one place or another since he was a child. I wondered how a child growing up in rural Hannibal, Missouri could have known so much of the world. It left me with an even deeper appreciation of Twain. He was obviously very inquisitive and an avid learner all his life.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. It was fantastic! ...more

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Jun 03, 2012 Laura marked it as to-read

Shelves: e-books, gutenberg, travel

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

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