Visions of Gerard

Visions of Gerard
	First edition
Author	Jack Kerouac
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Farrar, Straus and Company
Publication date	1963
Media type	Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages	144 pp
OCLC	22710206
Dewey Decimal	813/.54 20
LC Class	PS3521.E735 V47 1991
Preceded by	Big Sur ; (1962)
Followed by	Desolation Angels ; (1965)

Visions of Gerard is a novel by American Beat writer Jack Kerouac. Written in the first two weeks of 1956, while staying with his sister Caroline in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Kerouac's novel would not be published until 1963. ^[1] It is the first volume in Kerouac's "Duluoz Legend". Unique among Kerouac's novels, Visions of Gerard focuses on the scenes and sensations of childhood as evidenced in the tragically short yet happy life of his older brother, Gerard. Kerouac paints a picture of the boy as a saint, who loves all creatures and teaches this doctrine to four-year-old Jack. Set in Kerouac's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts, it is a beautiful but unsettling exploration of the meaning and precariousness of existence.^[2]

Explanation of the novel's title[]

Throughout the novel, Jack explores perspective and interpretations of the world—existence, reality, illusion—and through the death of his older brother Gerard, Jack realizes the Truth that has been passed on throughout history. The title is consistent with that of one of Kerouac's other character-studies, Visions of Cody, which centers on his experiences with Neal Cassady. The novel inspired the title of Bob Dylan's song "Visions of Johanna" from his 1966 album Blonde on Blonde.^{[citation needed]}

Character list[]

Kerouac often based his fictional characters on friends and family.^[3]

"Because of the objections of my early publishers I was not allowed to use the same personae names in each work."^[4]

Real-life person	Character name
Jack Kerouac	Jack Duluoz
	Emil "Pop" Duluoz
	Gerard Duluoz
	Ange Duluoz

References[]

^ Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody, Visions of Gerard, Big Sur. New York: Library of America, 2015, p. 763 ISBN 978-1-59853374-3
^ McLaughlin, K., 'Jack Kerouac's Visions of Gerard', in Wills, D. (ed.) Beatdom Vol. 4 (Mauling Press: Dundee, 2009) Archived October 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
^ Who’s Who: A Guide to Kerouac’s Characters
^ Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody. London and New York: Penguin Books Ltd. 1993.

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[1] Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody, Visions of Gerard, Big Sur. New York: Library of America, 2015, p. 763 ISBN 978-1-59853374-3

[2] McLaughlin, K., 'Jack Kerouac's Visions of Gerard', in Wills, D. (ed.) Beatdom Vol. 4 (Mauling Press: Dundee, 2009) Archived October 12, 2009, at the Wayback Machine

[3] Who’s Who: A Guide to Kerouac’s Characters

[Kerouac-4] Kerouac, Jack. Visions of Cody. London and New York: Penguin Books Ltd. 1993.

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