The article discusses Caity Weaver's recent trip to Paris, drawing parallels to Mark Twain's classic travel book, "The Innocents Abroad." Weaver's humorous reflection on her experiences in the city prompts a discussion about the intimidating nature of travel and the impact of Twain's humor. Through her conversation with Isabel Fattal, Weaver highlights Twain's ability to engage readers with funny narratives about foreign lands, contradicting the stereotype of old literature being dull and uninteresting. The article effectively bridges the past and present in literature and travel experiences.
There was a section where he wrote about what he calls "the Old Travelers"-well-traveled know-it-alls you sometimes encounter abroad: "They will not let you know anything. They sneer at your most inoffensive suggestions; they laugh unfeelingly at your treasured dreams of foreign lands; they brand the statements of your traveled aunts and uncles as the stupidest absurdities."
Of course I knew that Mark Twain was 'a humorist,' but there were sections where I was laughing out loud. I think a lot of times when people think of old books, they get an idea in their head of a book that's really stuffy or boring. But this was cracklingly interesting.
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