Romance Of The Road: Literature Of The American Highway

by Ronald Primeau

For four decades, the American road narrative has been a significant and popular literary genre for expressing journeys of self discovery. These works have been used as springboards for authors to define our national identity, to explore opportunities to escape from the daily routine, and to express social protest. This comprehensive study of an important American art form examines how road narratives create dialogues between travelers, authors, and readers about who we are, what we value, and where we hope to be going.
Writers examined include Jack Kerouac, Jim Dodge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Least Heat Moon, Robert M. Pirsig, Henry Miller, Joan Didion, Mona Simpson, and Walt Whitman.

182 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Nate Jordon · Rating 4 out of 5]

For thesis research...

For a genre that has been basically ignored by academia, this book is the first of it's kind. Providing a good launch pad for those interested in road novels, Romance of the Road provides good, concise analysis of some of the major road novels in American literature. But therein lies the major flaw of the book - at times it reads as nothing more than an extended book report. Also, the book is twelve years old and could use some updating/editing. Nonetheless, it's a vital resource for the genre - a genre that is more popular and has influenced American culture more than the world of academia, or the public, has admitted or has been willing to admit. It's one of the most important genres of American literature. Oh yeah, that's basically the topic of my thesis.

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

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