Our blog's inspirational hero, Mark Twain, has always been the premier champion of travel.
Few writers have expressed the essence and importance of traveling as clearly and as compellingly as Twain. And few people have had the perspective to observe the world with such keen insight.
Now, a new book turns the tables on Twain's travels, examining his own writing. The book— titled Mark Twain's Travel Literature: The Odyssey of a Mind
by English professor Harold H. Hellwig—provides an analysis of the travel themes that Twain used in his classic works, including Following the Equator.
Here's the official product description:
This critical study analyzes major concepts in the travel literature of Mark Twain and notes how his oeuvre (including his classic works of fiction) revolves around travel as a central issue. The book focuses especially on his representations of time, place, and identity in the travel works Roughing It, A Tramp Abroad, The Innocents Abroad, Life on The Mississippi, and Following the Equator. All receive an in-depth analysis, noting Twain's strong sense of nostalgia for the disappearing American frontier, his growing concern over the assimilation of Native American cultures, and his continual search for a sense of personal and national identity. One appendix provides a complete list of the travel literature contained in Twain's personal library.
This new book sounds like a must read for any Mark Twain fan or anyone just interested in travel writing. And that appendix sounds like a perfect reading list.
If you've had the chance to read Mark Twain's Travel Literature:
The Odyssey of a Mind, please let
us know what you think in the comments below.
