Overview

The rearview mirror perspective of a road trip across the American ""open road."" The American Open Road: Narrative and Popular Imagination offers a rich exploration of how the mythos of the open road has shaped, and been shaped by, American culture. Beginning with the post-World War II boom that solidified car culture as central to American life, Melton reflects on how roads, automobiles, and landscapes have been represented in literature, film, and other cultural texts, highlighting the interplay between mobility and narrative. Drawing on a wide range of cultural texts, from traditional classic road novels and cinematic presentations, to advertisements, poetry, and prose, Melton examines how the open road functions as a symbol of autonomy, reinvention, and resistance. He highlights how road narratives have also exposed deeper tensions in American life--especially around race, gender, and power--and how historically marginalized voices have used the road to reclaim space and tell new stories. From the romanticism of Route 66 to the political edge of modern road films, The American Open Road offers a thoughtful, engaging analysis of the narratives that continue to define American identity and longing. For readers interested in cultural history, travel literature, or the enduring pull of the highway, this book offers a compelling view from the passenger seat of America's most iconic journeys.

Full Product Details

9780817322410

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Reviews

""Melton takes readers on the American road to show why car culture is a dominant aspect of American life. He analyzes car advertisements, vintage road guides, movies, novels, songs to express both the boundless freedom and the socially imposed limitations of the road from a wide range of cultural perspectives."" --Matt Theado, author of Understanding Jack Kerouac

Author Information

Jeffrey Alan Melton is professor of American studies at the University of Alabama. He is author of Mark Twain, Travel Books, and Tourism: The Tide of a Great Popular Movement, winner of the 2001 Elizabeth Agee Prize, and co-editor of Mark Twain on the Move: A Travel Reader.

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