MobileConsidered by many to be his greatest book, Michel Butor's "Mobile" is the result of the six months the author spent traveling across America. The text is composed from a wide range of materials, including city names, road signs, advertising slogans, catalog listings, newspaper accounts of the 1893 World's Fair, Native American writings, and the history of the Freedomland theme park. Butor weaves bits and pieces from these diverse sources into a collage resembling an abstract painting (the book is dedicated to Jackson Pollock) or a patchwork quilt that by turns is both humorous and quite disturbing. This travelogue captures--in both a textual and visual way--the energy and contradictions of American life and history. |
Contents
Section 1 | 11 |
Section 2 | 14 |
Section 3 | 23 |
Section 4 | 27 |
Section 5 | 29 |
Section 6 | 37 |
Section 7 | 109 |
Section 8 | 123 |
Section 12 | 143 |
Section 13 | 147 |
Section 14 | 153 |
Section 15 | 157 |
Section 16 | 159 |
Section 17 | 160 |
Section 18 | 178 |
Section 19 | 250 |
Common terms and phrases
American appear Avenue beautiful bird blue border branch broadcasts BUFFALO Building called Church City CLEVELAND CLINTON clouds color coming county seat covered Creek dark dead dreams driven East Europe Europeans eyes Father of Waters fire five Flower FRANKLIN Freedomland French going gold gray green hand Hello highway Hotel Howard huge ice cream Indian Reservation Island JACKSON John Johnson Lake land leaving LEBANON LEXINGTON light Lincoln live look MANCHESTER Martin MICHIGAN miles Mountain National Forest Natural Negro never NEWPORT night North northern o'clock obtain Ohio pair parked passes planes religion Restaurant River that flows rooms Saint ships sleep smiling South speed Spirit SPRINGFIELD Street Theater thing Thomas Jefferson thousands trains trees tributary turn United warblers Washington West wind women woods yellow York young