A legend has arisen around the original manuscript for On the Road that is almost as fascinating as the novel itself. According to the legend, to keep his thoughts flowing freely as he wrote, Kerouac taped together twelve-foot-long sheets of paper to make a continuous roll that would not require stopping to change pages. Kerouac typed feverishly for three weeks, fed by stimulants and coffee, to produce a 120-foot-long single-spaced manuscript of his novel. This is essentially true, and the manuscript still exists; however, Kerouac produced this "spontaneous" manuscript while working from earlier drafts of the novel, and he was well-known for rewriting passages over and over again—a stark contrast to his cultivated image as an artist who operates from the stream of his consciousness.
On the Road is the defining novel of the Beat Generation, a subculture symbolized by a group of artists who rejected the rigid societal norms that had developed after World War II. Indeed, the novel caused some controversy upon its release due to its frank depiction of drug use and indecency among young adults. Such controversy only served to heighten the book's appeal to young adults looking for something different from the traditions of their parents.
This is a free page. This page contains 198 words. This
article contains 5,543 words (approx. 18 pages at 300
words per page).
Read the rest of this Article with our On the Road - Jack Kerouac - 1957 Access Pass.
