All travelers know the seductive power of the open road and its suggestions of possibility, escape, renewal, and reinvention. Hit the Road, Jack is an interdisciplinary exploration of the significance of the road as reality and metaphor. Engaging with varied cultural mediums such as literature, reality television, philosophy, and political rhetoric, this collection delves deeply into the symbolic implications of the road. Insightful and accessible essays draw upon both classic "road" texts and films, while investigating themes of individual and national freedom, independence and mobility, and...

All travelers know the seductive power of the open road and its suggestions of possibility, escape, renewal, and reinvention. Hit the Road, Jack is an interdisciplinary exploration of the significance of the road as reality and metaphor. Engaging with varied cultural mediums such as literature, reality television, philosophy, and political rhetoric, this collection delves deeply into the symbolic implications of the road. Insightful and accessible essays draw upon both classic "road" texts and films, while investigating themes of individual and national freedom, independence and mobility, and...