I know...
It's feast or famine with the Chronicles, as of late.
Well, feast with me, now, then!
My bookclub is reading The Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain this summer. Who would CHOOSE such a book?
That would be me.
And I love it!
I'm sure everyone else is either making elaborate excuses this week as to why they haven't read it in three months, or vainly struggling to find one section that they can underline and comment on, without actually having to finish the book. It's not an easy read, but I found it fascinating to see Europe and the Holy Lands through the eyes and wit of Mr. Twain. I wanted to share an excerpt with you about France...
Ah, the grisettes! I had almost forgotten. They are another romantic fraud. They were (if you let the books of travel tell it,) always so beautiful- so neat and trim, so graceful- so naive and trusting- so gentle, so winning- so faithful to their shop duties, so irresistible to buyers in their prattling importunity- so devoted to their poverty-stricken students of the Latin Quarter- so light hearted and happy on their Sunday picnics in the suburbs- and oh, so charmingly, so delightfully immoral!
Stuff! For three or four days I was constantly saying:
"Quick, Ferguson! Is that a grisette?"
And he always said, "No".
He comprehended, at last, that I wanted to see a grisette. Then he showed me dozens of them. They were like nearly all the Frenchwomen I ever saw- homely. They had large hands, large feet, large mouths; they had pug noses as a general thing and mustaches that not even good breeding could overlook; they combed their hair straight back without parting; they were ill-shaped, they were not winning, they were not graceful; I knew by their looks that they ate garlic and onions; and lastly and finally, to my thinking it would be base flattery to call them immoral.
...I will conclude this chapter with a remark that I am sincerely proud to be able to make- and glad, as well, that my comrades codially endorse it, to wit: by far the handsomest women we have seen in France were born and reared in America.
I read that twice, laughing at his disappointed description...what a let-down for the poor fellow!
3 comments:
First of all, I like your blog. I grew up on a farm/ranch between Richey/Poplar in west end of Richland County and so find the content of interest.
Second, I am also reading Innocents Abroad having purchased an 1870 copy for my "library". I find it a great read, can relate to it in my own travels,and find the Twain wit timeless.
For those who haven't underlined and need something fast--email me. I have all the good pages dog-eared and underlined! Twain is so honest and blunt, and after writing his honest description of people and places he caps it off with humor that cracks me up. I found the book a refreshing respite from the political correctness of 2011!
It IS a good book, isn't it?!
So glad someone else thinks so. I like travel writing in general, but it's really intriguing to me to have a look at travel in that era...it was so exciting! The general populace was able, for the first time in history, to access these strange, exotic places.
Myron, thanks for reading the Chronicles and leaving a comment. It's good to hear from people who stop by...I always wonder how you all find this little blog!
And Rosie...there's NOTHING politically correct about Twain, that's true. But he's able to get a point across with style and class, even when it's derrogatory. I'm taking notes.
Post a Comment