Mark Twain on Hawaii and Utah
Today's New York Times carries an interesting article on Mark Twain's travel writing on Hawaii by Times editorial writer Lawrence Downes. Downes provides the obligatory caution that it is necessary "try to forgive Twain's culture-bound ethnic insensitivity and remember that his misanthropy is refreshingly all-inclusive." Joey Tartakovsky coincidentally provides evidence of the inclusivity of Twain's misanthropy in Twain's discussion of polygamy following his two-day stay in Utah in 1861.
