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

The Oxford Companion to American Literature | 1995 | 700+ words | Copyright

Innocents Abroad, The; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress, travel narrative by Clemens, published in 1869 under his pseudonym Mark Twain. It is based on letters written during 1867 to the San Francisco Alta California and the New‐York Tribune and Herald, describing the tour of the steamship Quaker City to Europe, Egypt, and the Holy Land. In this autobiographical account, Clemens has an opportunity to ridicule foreign sights and manners from the point of view of the American democrat, who scorns the sophisticated, revels in his own national peculiarities and advantages, and is contemptuously amused by anything with which he is unacquainted. Characteristic passages are concerned with the comical difficulties of “innocent” tourists, their adventures among deceptive guides, inefficient hotels, and misunderstood customs; a comparison of Lake Como with Lake Tahoe, to the general advantage of the latter; a burlesque account of the ascent of Vesuvius; experiences of various Turkish “frauds”; an awestruck meeting with the Russian royal family; and a naïvely sentimental description of Biblical scenes in Palestine.

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James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Innocents Abroad, The; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. 28 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Innocents Abroad, The; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Encyclopedia.com. (May 28, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-InncntsbrdThrThNwPlgrmsPr.html

James D. Hart and and Phillip W. Leininger. "Innocents Abroad, The; Or, The New Pilgrim's Progress." The Oxford Companion to American Literature. 1995. Retrieved May 28, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O123-InncntsbrdThrThNwPlgrmsPr.html

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