Shifting lines in Jan Kerouac’s Baby Driver. A Story about Myself (1981)

• Published in: E-rea : Revue d'etudes anglophones
• Main Author: MORGAN-PROUX, Catherine
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: E-rea 15.12.2024
• Subjects: travel literature; écriture féminine; Jan Kerouac; littérature de voyage; deuil; women’s writing; autobiographie; autobiography; fracture; récit de la route; road narrative; grief
• DOI: 10.4000/12xg8

In her autobiographical novel Baby Driver. A Story About Myself (1981), Jan Kerouac, the little-known daughter of renowned writer Jack Kerouac, recounts a tumultuous life journey drawn largely from her own personal experience. This article explores the shifting lines between Jan Kerouac and Jack Kerouac, revealing profound fractures in the vertical line, or lineage, between father and daughter. Moreover, Jan Kerouac’s nomadic life is linked to another disrupted family line, that between her and her stillborn daughter. This fractured line of vulnerability and disenfranchised grief underlies the narrative, shaping the way Jan Kerouac navigates through the world. The text captures her chaotic life on the road as well as her search for catharsis through writing. Despite Jan Kerouac’s unique perspective, her work has been largely overlooked, especially in the context of women’s road narratives. This study puts forward the case that Jan Kerouac's work is deserving of more visibility in the landscape of travel literature.