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Mike's Reviews > The Innocents Abroad, Or, the New Pilgrims' Progress
The Innocents Abroad, Or, the New Pilgrims' Progress
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When I lived in Madrid years ago I used to buy pistachios from an Iranian refugee in Retiro Park. I don't recall his name, but I decided to call him Stan. It drove him crazy, but I called him Stan anyway. Why did I call him Stan?
One word: Ferguson.
Ferguson is every tour guide that graces the pages of Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad. The author and his cohort call their guides Ferguson, whether in Paris or in Athens. The name drives each Ferguson crazy, but they do it anyway. And regardless of the site, or museum, their attitude before the remains of some long-ago Renaissance man is the same: "Is . . . is he dead?" This also drives the Fergusons crazy.
Is this admirable? No, but it epitomizes the experience of Americans abroad. It is brash, showing at once disdain for and secret envy of the old world, its people, and its institutions.
This is the book that instilled in me a wanderlust that still afflicts me, even though I have rarely been able to satisfy it. I wanted to travel the world and call my guides Ferguson. I still do.
One word: Ferguson.
Ferguson is every tour guide that graces the pages of Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad. The author and his cohort call their guides Ferguson, whether in Paris or in Athens. The name drives each Ferguson crazy, but they do it anyway. And regardless of the site, or museum, their attitude before the remains of some long-ago Renaissance man is the same: "Is . . . is he dead?" This also drives the Fergusons crazy.
Is this admirable? No, but it epitomizes the experience of Americans abroad. It is brash, showing at once disdain for and secret envy of the old world, its people, and its institutions.
This is the book that instilled in me a wanderlust that still afflicts me, even though I have rarely been able to satisfy it. I wanted to travel the world and call my guides Ferguson. I still do.
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The Innocents Abroad, Or, the New Pilgrims' Progress.
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Reading Progress
Started Reading
January 1, 1984
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Finished Reading
August 24, 2007
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Teresa
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rated it 3 stars
Nov 16, 2012 10:34AM
Exactly what I wanted to say and didn't know how to say it. :)
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Funny this was exactly the post I wrote on Facebook not 15 minutes ago in a post commemorating the anniversary of the book's publication.. I feel like Melania Trump.
I love Mark Twain, but the version of this book that appeared on my Kindle seemed to be written as a poor translation of a non-English source. I gave up after two pages and want my money back !
I thought I would like this book because I enjoy Mark Twain, but I honestly felt like this was a forerunner of the book, ‘The Ugly American.� His comments about some places I’ve visited, but many more that are on my ‘bucket list� were interesting, but felt so disrespectful. Interesting to learn about the cholera quarantine in so many ports.
