The Innocents Abroad or the New Pilgrims' Progress

Twain's two characters, "Mr. Brown" and himself, tour Europe and send home a series of raucous, deadpan, hilarious reports that serve both to declare the independence of American writers from their European models, and to initiate the stereotype of the "ugly American." The book was originally published in 1869 after Twain himself returned from an extensive trip to Europe.