decadent_and_depraved reviewed Visions of Cody (Modern Classic) by Jack Kerouac (Modern classics)
Review of 'Visions of Cody (Modern Classic)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This is a strange book. It is disjointed and experimental. It barely makes sense and, at times, it will frustrate you. That being said, it is a good book, with some editing, I believe it could have been a great book even!
This book could be divided into 5 parts, so I will proceed to tell you something about each one of them.
Chapter 1
Jack going around New York being observant and stuff. This is by far the dullest part of the book. If you find the patience to get through it, it is only up from there.
Chapter 2
Jack constructs the myth of Cody.
Chapter 3 - The Tape
The first part of chapter 3 is a straight-up transcript of the tapes which are largely Jack and Cody talking while high on tea and wine. This is easily the best part of the book and I wanted …
This is a strange book. It is disjointed and experimental. It barely makes sense and, at times, it will frustrate you. That being said, it is a good book, with some editing, I believe it could have been a great book even!
This book could be divided into 5 parts, so I will proceed to tell you something about each one of them.
Chapter 1
Jack going around New York being observant and stuff. This is by far the dullest part of the book. If you find the patience to get through it, it is only up from there.
Chapter 2
Jack constructs the myth of Cody.
Chapter 3 - The Tape
The first part of chapter 3 is a straight-up transcript of the tapes which are largely Jack and Cody talking while high on tea and wine. This is easily the best part of the book and I wanted it to go on forever. I myself have played with the idea of doing this sort of convo to text thing and seeing it executed so well fills me up with courage. As for the contents of the tapes, Jack and Cody had such a great dynamic that it is hard not to find something profound in every one of their sentences. The conversations are raw, direct, vulnerable, and seeing as this is not common, especially in male friendships, reading their words warmed my heart. If you cannot be bothered to read the whole book, at least read this part.
Chapter 3 - Imitation of the Tape
The second part of chapter 3 is a mixture of Jack's relentless admiration for Cody and some of their adventures. This part is by far the most experimental and obscure, but somehow retains a certain air of vulnerability and paints a rather abstract image of Jack's love towards Cody. There is something here in Jack's writing that leaves you with a certain degree of understanding for his need to mythologize Cody and makes you wonder whether you will ever find someone like that, or, perhaps, once you reflect, whether there might have already been someone like that.
The Visions of The Great Rememberer
I appreciated this chapter for what it was. Allen Ginsberg attempting to shed some light on the meaning of particular passages and their significance in the larger Duluoz canon. It was truly helpful.
