Visions of Cody
Visions of Cody is an experimental novel by Jack Kerouac. It was written in 1951–1952, and though not published in its entirety until 1972, it had by then achieved an underground reputation. Since its first printing, Visions of Cody has been published with an introduction by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg titled "The Visions of the Great Rememberer."
Origins
Visions of Cody is derived from experimental spontaneous prose inserts that Kerouac added to the original manuscript of On the Road in 1951–52. Part of the novel is a fast-forward recapitulation of the events described in On the Road, which was also about Kerouac and Neal Cassady. When Kerouac appeared on The [Steve Allen Show] in 1959, he secretly read from the introduction to the then-unpublished Visions of Cody although he was supposedly reading from On The Road, the book he was holding.Excerpts from the novel were published by New Directions in 1959 as a 120 page, signed limited-edition of 750 copies, the entire novel being 'considered unpublishable' at the time.
Book structure
The first section of the book is essentially a collection of short stream-of-consciousness essays, which Kerouac called "sketches", many simply describing elements of Duluoz's post-World War II New York City environment, from the texture and smells of a lunch counter to St. [Patrick's Cathedral, New York|St. Patrick's Cathedral], or minor events like the decision to masturbate in a public restroom—all interlaced with Kerouac's internal dialogue. Along the way through these descriptions, Duluoz meanders towards a decision to go visit Cody in San Francisco.The second section consists mainly of the transcription of taped conversations between Kerouac and Cassady that extended over five nights as they drank and smoked marijuana. This is followed by a brief section entitled "Imitation of the Tape," a writing experiment by Kerouac in which he attempted to work from the spontaneity and speech patterns of the tape. The remainder of the book contains Kerouac's recounting of his travels with Cassady and the effect they had on their spiraling relationship.
Character key
Kerouac often based his fictional characters on friends and family.| Real-life person | Character name |
| Jack Kerouac | Jack Duluoz |
| Justin W. Brierly | Justin G. Mannerly |
| William S. Burroughs | Bull Hubbard |
| Bill Cannastra | Finistra |
| Lucien Carr | Julien Love |
| Carolyn Cassady | Evelyn |
| Neal Cassady | Cody Pomeray |
| Hal Chase | Val Hayes |
| Duke Chungas | Duke Gringas |
| Henri Cru | Deni Bleu |
| Bill Garver | Harper |
| Allen Ginsberg | Irwin Garden |
| Diane Hansen | Diane |
| Luanne Henderson | Joanna Dawson |
| Al Hinkle | Slim Buckle |
| Helen Hinkle | Helen Buckle |
| Jim Holmes | Tom Watson |
| John Clellon Holmes | Tom Wilson |
| Herbert Huncke | Huck |
| Frank Jeffries | Dave Sherman |
| David Kammerer | Dave Stroheim |
| Jerry Newman | Danny Richman |
| Edie Parker | Elly |
| Allan Temko | Allen Minko |
| Bill Tomson | Earl Johnson |
| Ed Uhl | Ed Wehle |
| Joan Vollmer | June |