Summary
The Innocents Abroad is a humorous and insightful travel memoir chronicling Mark Twain’s journey through Europe and the Holy Land aboard the steamship Quaker City in 1867. Written in a series of letters originally intended for a newspaper audience, Twain offers witty, irreverent commentary on the art, architecture, customs, and people he encounters.
From the grandeur of Paris and the ruins of Rome to the sacred (and often underwhelming) sites of Jerusalem, Twain captures the clash between American naiveté and Old World tradition, poking fun at both his fellow travelers and the European obsession with ancient relics and solemn history.
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