As a first read, we Kristen's Lit Girls agreed that On The Road was the place to start.
Not only are we stoked to see the film finally release in 2012, but LettieLou actually wrote her dissertation on Kerouac's scroll and I... well I just have a thing about reading the books before watching the movies!
Call me OCD - I'm largely inclined to agree with you - but mostly I just think it's respectful to the story :)
So... road trip, anyone?
Go HERE to read along with On The Road
Chapter summary:
On The Road opens as with our protagonist recalling his first memories of Dean, our supporting character who was "actually born on the road".
Dean arrives for the first time in New York with his new (and occasional) wife, MaryLou and we're hit with his high energy and inconstant focus.
Dean meets his match in Carlo before returning to the road with our hero quick to follow in his footsteps wanting "to know Dean more" and experience what his wanderlust entices...
Breaking it down - an excerpt:
Breaking it down - an excerpt:
Lorabell: Speaking of, we're introduced to MaryLou in chapter 1. Now, I've read Kristen saying something like how she realized that MaryLou wasn't this two-dimensional character she could have been played as and when I say "realize" I don't mean "came to think" but "made happen" as it were.
LettlieLou: Yeppo. His intro of characters is genius. He sets the tone for them ALL in this first chapter.
The majors anyway. He gives you a sense of them right off the bat. With a line. A word.
Not just what they look like.
LettlieLou: I got the impression from her that she really GOT Marylou
Lorabell: And of course all these characters, no matter how briefly we meet them, were people with lives and backgrounds and hopes and flaws.
LettlieLou: True. And I think it's fascinating to see them through Kerouac's eyes.
Lorabell: But because we DO meet them so briefly, I could see how it would be too easy for the performances of some to come off flat.
Lorabell: And especially with MaryLou who's almost a supportive role, a translation to screen could be shallow.
LettlieLou: I think even though we get a brief glimpse here, he is so brilliant in how he weaves them into the tapestry of the entire story. Like he wants to give them the credit in the story for the profound effect they had on his life. No matter how brief
Chatting it up - the complete breakdown:
LettlieLou: So...... OTR....
Part 1 Chapter 1
Lorabell: Word, let's DO THIS
squee
LettlieLou: I'm sorry. I just love it.
Lorabell: You go first, lol!
So, ok when did you first read this?
LettlieLou: In college. 2000...
Died
Lorabell: Because?
LettlieLou: I had to read it for an American Lit class. Kerouac had me at my favorite line...
Lorabell: Oooh?
LettlieLou: The only ones for me are the mad ones...
Lorabell: I noted that. I liked it.
LettlieLou: The ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
Desirous of everything at the same time.
Lorabell: Now, as a somewhat first-time reader (I started when I heard Kristen was cast but got side-tracked - fanfic n all) ... the first chapter reads with that love of "madness". The sentences are long and rambling but passionate and focused.
LettlieLou: Oh yes! It's intentional on JK's part I think.
Lorabell: I find myself reading them over more than once to make sure I've got the full impact.
Agreed.
LettlieLou: Me too!!! I read them aloud.
Lorabell: And his descriptions of lights and bustle and the way he writes conversation. It demonstrates his love of this "madness". And the people who love it and are inspired by it and seek it out.
LettlieLou: The madness is very intentional in everything in this first chapter.
Lorabell: nod
LettlieLou: Note the description of Dean's parking job.
Lorabell: Exactly!
LettlieLou: MADNESS
Lorabell: Crazy and quick and frantic and fun! Hilarious even. If you saw a guy doing that…
LettlieLou: I would shit!
LettlieLou: The never ending list of characters.
Lorabell: yes
Lorabell: And he talks like you should know them already; these strange names and personalities.
LettlieLou: YES
Lorabell: All passing, dealt out frivolously almost.
LettlieLou: This line...
Page 5
The whole mad swirl of everything that was to come began then. It would mix up all my friends and all I had left.
Lorabell: It's exciting - tempting almost
LettlieLou: God! He kills me!!! Brilliance!!! Tempting? Elaborate.
Lorabell: Like, he's teasing you with what's to come.
LettlieLou: Perfecto
Lorabell: Like he's looking over the story ahead.
LettlieLou: He's not only setting the tone but the PACE
Lorabell: Almost like a man starting along an endless road towards the horizon.
nod
LettlieLou: Ohhhh! That's great!
Lorabell: Quick and rhythmic with all these fast beats.
LettlieLou: And keep in mind that Kerouac was a kid!
Lorabell: How old was he here?
LettlieLou: Early 20's I believe.
Lorabell: ya, I imagined 21 or so. Lusty not just for women but experience. But certainly women too.
LettlieLou: LOL! God the casting!!!
Lorabell: Ha, don't start me.
LettlieLou: I know we are talking about the book but COME ON!
LettlieLou: Sam is Sal!!! Garrett is Dean!!!
Lorabell: See, I don't know Sam well but Garrett – GAH!
LettlieLou: Sam Riley will kill this! Kill!!!
Lorabell: I'm not the biggest Dunst fan though
LettlieLou: Yeah me neither.
Lorabell: I don't think her part's that weighty but still - she bugs.
LettlieLou: Totes
Lorabell: Kristen on the other hand…HOW stoked am I to see her in this role!
LettlieLou: I cry
Lorabell: Speaking of, we're introduced to MaryLou in chapter 1. Now, I've read Kristen saying something like how she realized that MaryLou wasn't this two-dimensional character she could have been played as and when I say "realize" I don't mean "came to think" but "made happen" as it were.
LettlieLou: Yeppo. His intro of characters is genius. He sets the tone for them ALL in this first chapter.
The majors anyway. He gives you a sense of them right off the bat. With a line. A word.
Not just what they look like.
LettlieLou: I got the impression from her that she really GOT Marylou
Lorabell: And of course all these characters, no matter how briefly we meet them, were people
with lives and backgrounds and hopes and flaws.
LettlieLou: True. And I think it's fascinating to see them through Kerouac's eyes.
Lorabell: But because we DO meet them so briefly, I could see how it would be too easy for the performances of some to come off flat.
Lorabell: And especially with MaryLou who's almost a supportive role, a translation to screen could be shallow.
LettlieLou: I think even though we get a brief glimpse here, he is so brilliant in how he weaves them into the tapestry of the entire story. Like he wants to give them the credit in the story for the profound effect they had on his life. No matter how brief.
Lorabell: Love that - and so true; all these people, not just the major players, coloured his story
But from Kristen's interview in “One and Only”, she seems to have connected to what humanity really drove this seemingly flippant girl. Maybe "flippant" isn't the right word - but I'm only really on the first chapter
LettlieLou: Oh! Love what u said back there! About Kristen, that she connected to Marylou.
Marylou is much more than some slutty girl that Kerouac first demonstrates her to be. But he hints at that here with the work she does and her devotion to Dean.
Lorabell: Well I kind of picture her thus far as a less gritty Mallory from Welcome to the Rileys.
LettlieLou: Less damaged and less bitter.
Lorabell: Not as a full on whore, obviously.
LettlieLou: Right
Lorabell: But insecure and cast aside too easily perhaps. And initially people could read the front of that as "bitch". But obviously it's a symptom of much more.
LettlieLou: Absolutely... She's not though. She knows who Dean is! She gets kicked around but at the same time she's not entirely a wounded puppy. He’s a Con Artist. LOL! Phony!
LettlieLou: Kristen will nail this role...
Lorabell: spoiler alert!
Also, even though the title of the book is an obvious give away... he's constantly talking about other places. Like he's describing all these towns and scapes he's heard of out west; so eager to experience them already
LettlieLou: PS. This rules
Lorabell: P.p.s. Right on :D
LettlieLou: He'a dreaming, ya know?
Lorabell: Even these little random ass towns in buttfuck nowhere.
NICE
totally!
such a dreamer
LettlieLou: He wants bigger and better (he thinks). So eager.
Lorabell: Into the great wide open
LettlieLou: Oh!!!
Lorabell: Anywhere / everywhere's better.
LettlieLou: Exactly. This concept makes him relatable.
Lorabell: how so?
LettlieLou: We all want to be somewhere other than where we are. Especially in early 20's.
Lorabell: agreed
Lorabell: I was wondering if you meant, it gives us an image of him - a dreamer - drifter
LettlieLou: Oh it def does that I think. He's so damn intentional.
Lorabell: Suddenly with that, you can form a picture of this guy. What he might look like, how he might dress.
LettlieLou: I LOVE LOVE LOVE The progression of Dean.
Lorabell: expand?
(spoiler free)
LettlieLou: And that relationship even in this first chapter. You see it. Right off the bat. You get such a sense of his character in such a brief period of time.
Lorabell: Well because it's written as a diary of sorts. Though he’s still writing for a reader, but as if you already know him.
LettlieLou: A love letter to the road.
Lorabell: Love that. It makes it so personal but it just jumps right on into him. No pretense or introductions.
LettlieLou: It brings me to tears every time.
Lorabell: Just bam!
LettlieLou: Nope. He sucks you in.
Lorabell: Exactly! Like you're sat in the room as he's scribbling away or typing as it were.
LettlieLou: I can close my eyes and I'm peering over his shoulder in some shitty room.
Lorabell: Exactly. EXACTLY. With buzzy light fixtures and cigs everywhere; half a cup of cold coffee and unmade sheets on a bed.
LettlieLou: It's fucking beautiful! Let me ask this…
Lorabelll: yup?
LettlieLou: What is ur impression of Dean and Carlo??
Lorabell: Bromance. LOL! They seem quite into themselves like they "get along" so well because they feed each other's egos.
LettlieLou: BINGO!!!
Lorabell: Like when you were SUPER BFFs with someone when you were 12; immature and co-dependent.
LettlieLou: OhMahGod! Perfect! LOL!
Lorabell: And likely short lived… They know each other so little.
LettlieLou: Assholes. Both of em. Neither knows shit and they both know that.
Lorabell: And this friendship is so "immediate".
LettlieLou: Bingo.
Lorabell: But will probably turn to shit when they realize who the other actually is.
LettlieLou: I love Sal's description.
Lorabell: ?
LettlieLou: Page 5 Two piercing eyes glanced into two piercing eyes; the holy con man w/ the shining mind and the sorrowful poetic con man with the dark mind.
Lorabell: It's all bullshit and it's not like camaraderie of that but competitiveness.
LettlieLou: Exactly! And Kerouac sees right thru it from this first glimpse.
Lorabell: It is fantastic how he puts that inkling into my mind without saying it. The words read pleasantly almost of the friendship but still i doubt it and think they're both dicks.
LettlieLou: Kerouac doesn't give anything away though does he?
Lorabell: Not at all. But it's like you need to know if what you think is true even though it's not said, you're given this suspicion.
LettlieLou: It's his gift. He sucks you in, but doesn't give an inch.
Lorabell: YES, exactly! In a non-forgiving way…
LettlieLou: Well, I think we've hashed it, eh???
Lorabell: Agreed – solid first break down :)
To read Kristen's interview from One and Only (mentioned above) click HERE
LettlieLou: So...... OTR....
Part 1 Chapter 1
Lorabell: Word, let's DO THIS
squee
LettlieLou: I'm sorry. I just love it.
Lorabell: You go first, lol!
So, ok when did you first read this?
LettlieLou: In college. 2000...
Died
Lorabell: Because?
LettlieLou: I had to read it for an American Lit class. Kerouac had me at my favorite line...
Lorabell: Oooh?
LettlieLou: The only ones for me are the mad ones...
Lorabell: I noted that. I liked it.
LettlieLou: The ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved,
Desirous of everything at the same time.
Lorabell: Now, as a somewhat first-time reader (I started when I heard Kristen was cast but got side-tracked - fanfic n all) ... the first chapter reads with that love of "madness". The sentences are long and rambling but passionate and focused.
LettlieLou: Oh yes! It's intentional on JK's part I think.
Lorabell: I find myself reading them over more than once to make sure I've got the full impact.
Agreed.
LettlieLou: Me too!!! I read them aloud.
Lorabell: And his descriptions of lights and bustle and the way he writes conversation. It demonstrates his love of this "madness". And the people who love it and are inspired by it and seek it out.
LettlieLou: The madness is very intentional in everything in this first chapter.
Lorabell: nod
LettlieLou: Note the description of Dean's parking job.
Lorabell: Exactly!
LettlieLou: MADNESS
Lorabell: Crazy and quick and frantic and fun! Hilarious even. If you saw a guy doing that…
LettlieLou: I would shit!
LettlieLou: The never ending list of characters.
Lorabell: yes
Lorabell: And he talks like you should know them already; these strange names and personalities.
LettlieLou: YES
Lorabell: All passing, dealt out frivolously almost.
LettlieLou: This line...
Page 5
The whole mad swirl of everything that was to come began then. It would mix up all my friends and all I had left.
Lorabell: It's exciting - tempting almost
LettlieLou: God! He kills me!!! Brilliance!!! Tempting? Elaborate.
Lorabell: Like, he's teasing you with what's to come.
LettlieLou: Perfecto
Lorabell: Like he's looking over the story ahead.
LettlieLou: He's not only setting the tone but the PACE
Lorabell: Almost like a man starting along an endless road towards the horizon.
nod
LettlieLou: Ohhhh! That's great!
Lorabell: Quick and rhythmic with all these fast beats.
LettlieLou: And keep in mind that Kerouac was a kid!
Lorabell: How old was he here?
LettlieLou: Early 20's I believe.
Lorabell: ya, I imagined 21 or so. Lusty not just for women but experience. But certainly women too.
LettlieLou: LOL! God the casting!!!
Lorabell: Ha, don't start me.
LettlieLou: I know we are talking about the book but COME ON!
LettlieLou: Sam is Sal!!! Garrett is Dean!!!
Lorabell: See, I don't know Sam well but Garrett – GAH!
LettlieLou: Sam Riley will kill this! Kill!!!
Lorabell: I'm not the biggest Dunst fan though
LettlieLou: Yeah me neither.
Lorabell: I don't think her part's that weighty but still - she bugs.
LettlieLou: Totes
Lorabell: Kristen on the other hand…HOW stoked am I to see her in this role!
LettlieLou: I cry
Lorabell: Speaking of, we're introduced to MaryLou in chapter 1. Now, I've read Kristen saying something like how she realized that MaryLou wasn't this two-dimensional character she could have been played as and when I say "realize" I don't mean "came to think" but "made happen" as it were.
LettlieLou: Yeppo. His intro of characters is genius. He sets the tone for them ALL in this first chapter.
The majors anyway. He gives you a sense of them right off the bat. With a line. A word.
Not just what they look like.
LettlieLou: I got the impression from her that she really GOT Marylou
Lorabell: And of course all these characters, no matter how briefly we meet them, were people
with lives and backgrounds and hopes and flaws.
LettlieLou: True. And I think it's fascinating to see them through Kerouac's eyes.
Lorabell: But because we DO meet them so briefly, I could see how it would be too easy for the performances of some to come off flat.
Lorabell: And especially with MaryLou who's almost a supportive role, a translation to screen could be shallow.
LettlieLou: I think even though we get a brief glimpse here, he is so brilliant in how he weaves them into the tapestry of the entire story. Like he wants to give them the credit in the story for the profound effect they had on his life. No matter how brief.
Lorabell: Love that - and so true; all these people, not just the major players, coloured his story
But from Kristen's interview in “One and Only”, she seems to have connected to what humanity really drove this seemingly flippant girl. Maybe "flippant" isn't the right word - but I'm only really on the first chapter
LettlieLou: Oh! Love what u said back there! About Kristen, that she connected to Marylou.
Marylou is much more than some slutty girl that Kerouac first demonstrates her to be. But he hints at that here with the work she does and her devotion to Dean.
Lorabell: Well I kind of picture her thus far as a less gritty Mallory from Welcome to the Rileys.
LettlieLou: Less damaged and less bitter.
Lorabell: Not as a full on whore, obviously.
LettlieLou: Right
Lorabell: But insecure and cast aside too easily perhaps. And initially people could read the front of that as "bitch". But obviously it's a symptom of much more.
LettlieLou: Absolutely... She's not though. She knows who Dean is! She gets kicked around but at the same time she's not entirely a wounded puppy. He’s a Con Artist. LOL! Phony!
LettlieLou: Kristen will nail this role...
Lorabell: spoiler alert!
Also, even though the title of the book is an obvious give away... he's constantly talking about other places. Like he's describing all these towns and scapes he's heard of out west; so eager to experience them already
LettlieLou: PS. This rules
Lorabell: P.p.s. Right on :D
LettlieLou: He'a dreaming, ya know?
Lorabell: Even these little random ass towns in buttfuck nowhere.
NICE
totally!
such a dreamer
LettlieLou: He wants bigger and better (he thinks). So eager.
Lorabell: Into the great wide open
LettlieLou: Oh!!!
Lorabell: Anywhere / everywhere's better.
LettlieLou: Exactly. This concept makes him relatable.
Lorabell: how so?
LettlieLou: We all want to be somewhere other than where we are. Especially in early 20's.
Lorabell: agreed
Lorabell: I was wondering if you meant, it gives us an image of him - a dreamer - drifter
LettlieLou: Oh it def does that I think. He's so damn intentional.
Lorabell: Suddenly with that, you can form a picture of this guy. What he might look like, how he might dress.
LettlieLou: I LOVE LOVE LOVE The progression of Dean.
Lorabell: expand?
(spoiler free)
LettlieLou: And that relationship even in this first chapter. You see it. Right off the bat. You get such a sense of his character in such a brief period of time.
Lorabell: Well because it's written as a diary of sorts. Though he’s still writing for a reader, but as if you already know him.
LettlieLou: A love letter to the road.
Lorabell: Love that. It makes it so personal but it just jumps right on into him. No pretense or introductions.
LettlieLou: It brings me to tears every time.
Lorabell: Just bam!
LettlieLou: Nope. He sucks you in.
Lorabell: Exactly! Like you're sat in the room as he's scribbling away or typing as it were.
LettlieLou: I can close my eyes and I'm peering over his shoulder in some shitty room.
Lorabell: Exactly. EXACTLY. With buzzy light fixtures and cigs everywhere; half a cup of cold coffee and unmade sheets on a bed.
LettlieLou: It's fucking beautiful! Let me ask this…
Lorabelll: yup?
LettlieLou: What is ur impression of Dean and Carlo??
Lorabell: Bromance. LOL! They seem quite into themselves like they "get along" so well because they feed each other's egos.
LettlieLou: BINGO!!!
Lorabell: Like when you were SUPER BFFs with someone when you were 12; immature and co-dependent.
LettlieLou: OhMahGod! Perfect! LOL!
Lorabell: And likely short lived… They know each other so little.
LettlieLou: Assholes. Both of em. Neither knows shit and they both know that.
Lorabell: And this friendship is so "immediate".
LettlieLou: Bingo.
Lorabell: But will probably turn to shit when they realize who the other actually is.
LettlieLou: I love Sal's description.
Lorabell: ?
LettlieLou: Page 5 Two piercing eyes glanced into two piercing eyes; the holy con man w/ the shining mind and the sorrowful poetic con man with the dark mind.
Lorabell: It's all bullshit and it's not like camaraderie of that but competitiveness.
LettlieLou: Exactly! And Kerouac sees right thru it from this first glimpse.
Lorabell: It is fantastic how he puts that inkling into my mind without saying it. The words read pleasantly almost of the friendship but still i doubt it and think they're both dicks.
LettlieLou: Kerouac doesn't give anything away though does he?
Lorabell: Not at all. But it's like you need to know if what you think is true even though it's not said, you're given this suspicion.
LettlieLou: It's his gift. He sucks you in, but doesn't give an inch.
Lorabell: YES, exactly! In a non-forgiving way…
LettlieLou: Well, I think we've hashed it, eh???
Lorabell: Agreed – solid first break down :)
***
To read Kristen's interview from One and Only (mentioned above) click HERE
Stay tuned for our On The Road inspired playlist and recipes!
- Lorabell
You cannot imagine how super stoked I am that you gals are doing this! I read OTR in college, but considering that's been awhile I was planning to re-read it over Christmas...so I'm sure to be thoroughly prepared when Marylou Stew hits the big screen. This little gem of a blog couldn't have come at a better time! Such a fab idea! So I'll be reading along with you ladies and may even pop in with a comment or two! :)
ReplyDelete@TwiNurse02
ReplyDeleteSo stoked your joining us on the ride, sweets :) Thank you so much for the kind words and we hope to see you in the comments soon!
xxx