University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus Department of English Ricardo Abreu Irizaris 801-09-0018 Brian X.

Len Ricardo 801-10-3588 INGL-3135-001 Jos Hernndez Romn 801-10-3232 Janelise Rivera Torres 801-10-6520 Dr. Madeleine Vala

Exploring of Literary Criticism: The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On The Road by Background: The article was published by George Dardess who has a Ph.D. in English literature; it was published in May 1974 while at the time he was a professor in Tufts University. It appeared in American Literature, Vol. 46, No. 2 from page 200-206. Contents: This article reviews the style in which the novel was written and ties it in with the theme of friendship between Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty. In a way he expresses how their friendship can be viewed as a romance. He defends how the inconclusive ending is a tool to observe how the main character has changed through his time on the road. The author of the article also defends Jack Kerouac since along the years of being an author he has often been criticized by his fellow authors, among them Norman Mailer a Pulitzer winning author. Important quotes of the article: Norman Mailer says Jack Kerouac lack discipline, intelligence and a sense of the novel later Dardess refutes Yet Kerouac books continue to be read. (G. Dardess 1974) His sense of the novel though not identical to Mailers is carefully and rigorously developed; and his "discipline, intelligence, honesty" are indeed evident, perhaps most clearly so in the novel for which he is best known, On the Road. (G. Dardess 1974) Here is no loose scribbling of notes whose only organization is geographical and chronological(G. Dardess 1974) On The Road is a love story, not a travelog (and certainly not a call to Revolution).
(G. Dardess 1974)

The book moves from hierarchy to openness, from the limitation of possibilities to their expansion (G. Dardess 1974) The men's relations are intimately connected to the direction and scope of their geographical movements. As their geographical range increases, so does the range and complexity of their relation. (G. Dardess 1974) Writing a book about friendship does not allow for tidy endings or unmixed feelings. What takes their place is a fragile, impossible, contradictory structure sustained by the energy of intelligence alone." (G,Dardess 1974

Criticism of the article: Good: 1. Concise and leaves out irrelevant information. 2. Quotes from the book are present. 3. Organized arguments 4. Presents a different or even odd idea of the novel. 5. Interesting. 6. Is full of relevant and insightful ideas.

Bad: 1. Unusual citation, does not present the standard format for references. 2. No abstract, there is no way of knowing what the article is about apart from the title. 3. Hints at a bias, the author refutes valid and educated opinions of other scholars. 4. Although concise, the elaboration of the argument leaves to be desired. 5. Repetitive on the descriptions of the characters relations.

Bibliography: Dardess, G. (1974) The Delicate Dynamics of Friendship: A Reconsideration of Kerouac's On The Road. American Literature Vol. 46, No. 2 (May, 1974), pp. 200-206 http://www.jstor.org/stable/2924693 [Online]