Travelling with Ship of Fools

So I didn’t read any of Ship of Fools while I was on vacation in North Carolina…I was heartily distracted by Lake Wobegon Days, hammocks, ice cream trucks, and Wright Brothers history…so the book stayed in my bag, nary a page turned.

But I did learn that Orville and Wilbur Wright were geniuses…with only a high school education, the tour guide said so like eight times.

But I’ve righted (Wrighted?) that wrong on my most recent trip to Austin.  While I sat on perhaps the world’s tiniest airplane I got lost in the mini-vignettes of my fellow travellers Mrs Treadwell, Wilhelm Denny, and little Hans.  As the baby wailed three seats back and the beverage cart squeaked by I felt like I, too was on that ship.

As I begin my novelistic voyage I feel slightly overwhelmed by all the characters being thrown at me (who’s got the big arm bruise?  Who’s the dwarf?) but I really like the way Porter effortlessly glides from character to character and I’m excited to read more.

I also find myself constantly thinking “Was this character played by Vivian Leigh?” (I think it was Mrs. Treadwell).

Here’s what I’ve noted…these people are traveling because of “necessity and not the caprices of a pleasure voyage.”  I think that’s important.  If I were the casually highlighting type I would have probably dayglo-ed (orange, methinks) this fragment.  Perhaps even put a little exclamation point in the margin (in ink…I don’t do highlight marginalia).

I’ll be interested to hear what you’re thinking,

Jon