My Four Weeks in France

In My Four Weeks in France, Ring Lardner offers a comedy, memoir, nonfiction, travel first published in 1918. Its central concerns include ideas, events, practices, and the effort to understand lived reality, approached through the possibilities of comedy, memoir, nonfiction, travel. Rather than depending on topical novelty, the book builds its interest through the interaction of character, situation, and idea. The book’s distinctive character comes from a direct explanatory style shaped by observation, argument, and evidence. At roughly 31,611 words with a fairly easy reading profile, it offers a reading commitment that is easy to judge before beginning while still leaving room for close attention. Its continuing value lies in its usefulness as a window into the concerns and assumptions of its time. Readers drawn to comedy, memoir, nonfiction, travel and ideas will find a work that combines a distinct period voice with questions that remain recognizable today. Its combination of period detail and recognizable human concerns makes it suitable for independent reading, discussion, or a first exploration of Ring Lardner’s work.