Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i>
Jack Kerouac’s <i>On the Road</i> is among the seminal texts of the Beat Generation canon, and the author himself is renowned as a hero of American letters and freedom. Kerouac’s book is clearly one of the most inspirational of the last century and helped to spur the culture of mobility,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Humanities |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/1/37 |
| _version_ | 1797395124104200192 |
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| author | Michael Amundsen |
| author_facet | Michael Amundsen |
| author_sort | Michael Amundsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Jack Kerouac’s <i>On the Road</i> is among the seminal texts of the Beat Generation canon, and the author himself is renowned as a hero of American letters and freedom. Kerouac’s book is clearly one of the most inspirational of the last century and helped to spur the culture of mobility, spiritual yearning and adventure in the decades following its release not only in the USA but in many other parts of the world. A close reading of <i>On the Road</i> reveals other realities about the author, through his character Sal Paradise, and the America he discovers in his travels. This article looks at the files from Kerouac’s aborted stay in the US navy, letters, journal entries and the text of <i>On the Road</i> itself to demonstrate that the author’s Whitmanesque longings and ennui are very much rooted in a romantic vision challenged by the realities of mid-20th-century American life. However, Kerouac’s “ecotopia of the West” also suggests other ways of living which would influence America’s counterculture and environmental movements. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:29:54Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-cc943fc9f5324ebc807148641c539de1 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:29:54Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Humanities |
| spelling | doaj.art-cc943fc9f5324ebc807148641c539de12023-12-11T18:36:14ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872021-02-011013710.3390/h10010037Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i>Michael Amundsen0School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, Arizona State University, Glendale, AZ 85306, USAJack Kerouac’s <i>On the Road</i> is among the seminal texts of the Beat Generation canon, and the author himself is renowned as a hero of American letters and freedom. Kerouac’s book is clearly one of the most inspirational of the last century and helped to spur the culture of mobility, spiritual yearning and adventure in the decades following its release not only in the USA but in many other parts of the world. A close reading of <i>On the Road</i> reveals other realities about the author, through his character Sal Paradise, and the America he discovers in his travels. This article looks at the files from Kerouac’s aborted stay in the US navy, letters, journal entries and the text of <i>On the Road</i> itself to demonstrate that the author’s Whitmanesque longings and ennui are very much rooted in a romantic vision challenged by the realities of mid-20th-century American life. However, Kerouac’s “ecotopia of the West” also suggests other ways of living which would influence America’s counterculture and environmental movements.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/1/37Kerouac<i>On the Road</i>frontierecotopia |
| spellingShingle | Michael Amundsen Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> Humanities Kerouac <i>On the Road</i> frontier ecotopia |
| title | Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> |
| title_full | Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> |
| title_fullStr | Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> |
| title_full_unstemmed | Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> |
| title_short | Green Jack: Naïveté, Frontier and Ecotopia in <i>On the Road</i> |
| title_sort | green jack naivete frontier and ecotopia in i on the road i |
| topic | Kerouac <i>On the Road</i> frontier ecotopia |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/1/37 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT michaelamundsen greenjacknaivetefrontierandecotopiainiontheroadi |