A Diary in America Review

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A Diary in America ReviewCaptain Marryat, English author most famously of MR. MIDSHIPMAN EASY, was an extremely popular novelist when he decided in 1837 to come to America and make a "grand tour" of the country (and parts of Canada) with the intentions of publishing his impressions. Originally he was concerned with America's governmental system, but as time went on (his visit lasted 18 months) he became even more interested in the country itself and the people in it. A Romantic at heart, he couldn't resist describing in detail the natural beauties he encountered - Niagara Falls, the darkness and bird life along the Mississippi River, the settings of various towns and cities on the prairie. But he was also an acute observer of people and is especially fond of the wit and cleverness he finds; not one to pass up a good anecdote when he hears one, the text is sprinkled with funny stories: intrigued by the American penchant for bartering, "I heard of an American who had two sons, and he declared that they were so clever at barter that he locked them both up together in a room, without a cent in their pockets, and that before they had swapped for an hour, they had each gained two dollars a piece." I don't know whether Mark Twain had read this book, but it certainly would have given him much pleasure.
Marryat traveled as far west as Minnesota and south as New Orleans and also spent time in Canada. He was popularly received at first - until he committed a gaffe by publicly supporting an action in Canada that went against the US; his star sank like a rock in a pond and the welcome mat was pulled from underneath him. He was accused of being a spy and a writer whose sole purpose was to trash America and her citizens (neither was true), and he returned to England on short notice.
While the first half of the book contains his travel narrative, the second consists of chapters revealing his impressions regarding various institutions and traits in America: the language, climate, education, law, society, the press, religion, etc. He certainly was not a Tocqueville in these observations, being a somewhat shallow interpreter and drawing strong conclusions based on first impressions only. But Marryat can't help being interesting and his clear and straightforward style (his chief asset as a writer) is ever in evidence here. Anyone interested in the way others perceived America and her people in the 19th century will enjoy reading Captain Marryat's account.A Diary in America Overview

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