SOURCE: “Tom Wolfe: Outlaw Gentleman,” in Journal of American Culture, Vol. 13, No. 2, Summer, 1990, pp. 39–50.

In the following essay, Crawford analyzes how Wolfe's protagonists often exhibit the characteristics of an “outlaw gentleman,” a rogue who clothes himself in respectability.

Dedicated to “all sorts of outlaws, and outcasts, by necessity or choice.” (from The Pump House Gang, p. 3) 

and to all incendiary poets: “I am absolutely convinced that all poets, real poets, are rebels. I don't demand that all poets write political poetry, political declarations. Any kind of honesty is rebellion.” —Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Dangerious Dossiers, p. 239 

The quintessential hero in Tom Wolfe's writings is the outlaw disguised as gentleman. In search of the heroic, he celebrates the lone adventurer—whether it's the last frontier in bootlegging, space, or the electronics industry. Each investigation has always led him into murky waters. He has pursued the Holy Grail of Truth while others...