The Innocents Abroad; or, The New Pilgrim's Progress

One hundred sixty years ago, shortly after the Civil War, Mark Twain signed up for an ocean cruise to France, Italy, Greece, Egypt, and the Holy Land. Unlike today’s whirlwind tours, this was a significant time investment, lasting many months.

It was interesting to see Twain apply his sardonic humor to the many places he and his fellow passengers visited, both those he enjoyed (Venice, for instance) and those he didn’t (Florence). I enjoyed comparing his impressions with my own recollections, even when they differed greatly from mine (how could he fail to be impressed by the Hagia Sophia?). One highlight of the book is the ironic distance with which he accepts the legends attached to holy sites.

When it comes to his attitude toward show more the locals, his condescending, curmudgeonly tone is hard to take. From their first stop, in the Azores, Twain sets the tone for how he will view the local populace: invariably indolent, unwashed, and ill-clad. In his conclusion, he writes the much-quoted words, “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts.” Read in context, at the end of this book, this reveals a colossal lack of self-awareness.

On balance, though, this was an entertaining read. show less

Twain was himself... at some times hilarious, at others thoughtful and philosophic, and at others realistically snarky. And of course those times often overlapped. I think the book is clever in that it mimics most journeys, including pockets of boredom and waiting interspersed with humor and adventure and travel companions that don't mix well. Not the sort of book that transfers well into our current generation (one that always has to be entertained).

If you like Twain, invest (time or money or comfort-- after all, you can get it on Gutenberg) in a copy that has the illustrations. It's worth it.

Hilarious account of Twain's 19th century excursion to parts of Europe, the Mediterranean region and the Holy Land. His purposes for this trip may have been noble, for as he says “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things can not be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.” I'm not sure how charitable he became, with constant remarks like “In Paris they just simply opened their eyes and stared when we spoke to them in French! We never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language.” However it is amusing to see how his remarkable wit makes quick work of the charlatans and dubious stories about holy relics that he encounters along the way. And he also pokes fun at show more himself and all fellow travelers, saying "the gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become, until he goes abroad."
At the end, he has this to say "Human nature appears to be just the same, all over the world." I recommend this to anyone seeking a humorous escape, and it is especially appropriate for anyone on a trip. show less

I would have given this a four if it hadn't gotten so bogged down in the Holy Lands. I really became tedious at one point and I had trouble finishing it. But I loved, loved, loved the European descriptions as well as Turkey, Egypt and the travelers time as desert nomads. Some things never change ... there are still ugly Americans who are utterly clueless when they travel, one may still become overwhelmed by the sheer quantity of churches and Renaissance masterpieces in Italy to the point that it becomes difficult to appreciate them, the proliferation of relics is laughable and the tendency of guides to guide you to shops where they get a cut is still a thing. And much more. I think the book is probably more appreciated by those who have show more traveled to some of the places he described because you can re-experience those places through his eyes. Perhaps this is why I didn't appreciate the Holy Lands more, since I have never been there. Yes, there is racism and xenophobia in the book, but it is limited and with a couple of exceptions doesn't feel mean-spirited (mainly when it comes to non-Christians). If you're easily offended, maybe you shouldn't read it. If you are able to look past common prejudices of the time, go for it. show less

I've always been a little disenchanted with Twain and yet I want to like him. Maybe it makes me feel a little un-American to disparage him. So I continue to pick up his books in the hopes of becoming a fan. It didn't take but a few pages until I was hooked on this one. How envious I am of Twain's voyage. He hit nearly every spot on my bucket list. There were times he made me laugh: the caterwauling of the gondolier on the Grand Canal in Venice, his experience with French barbers and the mud of Turkish coffee. Times he made me grateful to live in the present age: the lack of soap in public (and private) baths and lack of candles to see by. Times he made me shake my head in disgust over human behavior: Seeing the ashes of St. John in more show more than one cathedral; the crown of thorns in several shrines and the pillar over the very dust that Adam was made from. I began to find myself very amused by his bravado, as in the time he broke quarantine and walked to the Parthanon by cover of moonlight; stealing grapes off the vine for a snack and being spooked by the faces of the statuary. And then there was the time when he allowed a street hawker to charm him into purchasing kid gloves that were too small for his hands because she was a pretty girl and she pandered to his vanity. How human he was to me then. This was definitely the book to bring one closer to Twain. I enjoyed being a tag-along on his journey. And if I ever make the trip myself, he's definitely coming along with me! show less

Every time I read this book, I find another gem. Twain is the original king of snark and his observations of white middle-class American tourists are timeless and side-splittingly hilarious. The only noticeable differences between traveling now and Twain’s trip in the 1860s – the presence of automobiles and the availability of soap.

I will paraphrase some of the tidbits I found most memorable: We have seen about a keg of nails from the true cross, I am so glad Michelangelo is dead, Is… is he *dead*?, Jacksonville, Ferguson, the Sea of Galilee is ugly, these cathedrals without relics are nothing to me.

So, what happens when a humorous writer from the West Coast joins a bunch of East Coasters tourists on a tour of the France, Italy, Greece, the Holy Land, and Egypt in 1867? The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain is a humorous travelogue detailing the author’s five month “pleasure excursion” on both land and sea.

Noting his observations and critiques of not only his adventures, but his fellow passengers, those locals that he’s met, and his expectations, Twain took everything to task so likely to the frustration of his fellow passengers. Twain’s humor isn’t over-the-top instead it is subtle and slowly builds thematic jokes until hitting the perfect one to finish the thread on then letting it go—unlike some comedians that can’t show more think of new material. This narrative nonfiction account has it all with minute detail of how the trip begins, excitement on finally getting to a foreign location, annoyance with everyone tell you the same nonsensical factoid all the time, watching our fellow travelers taking souvenirs by breaking pieces off stuff, realizing all the money you spent of travelogues to let you know what to expect would have been better in your pocket, and not caring one bit what happened on the way home because you just want to get there. As my previous Twain reads were short stories in high school or the serious historical fiction Joan of Arc, I didn’t know what to expect going in and I came out very happy after reading it.

The Innocents Abroad is a humorous look at a journey from the United States to Europe and the Holy Land from the viewpoint of Mark Twain. Upon finishing it you’ll realize why it was Twain’s bestselling book during his lifetime. show less