Girls, Visions and Everything
| Author | Sarah Schulman |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Seal Press |
| Publication date | 1986 |
Girls,Visions and Everything is the second novel by Sarah Schulman. It was published in 1986 by Seal Press.[1]
Plot
The novel follows Lila Futuransky, a Jewish lesbian in New York City who has chosen to imitate the lifestyle of Jack Kerouac, inspired by his novel On the Road.
Writing
The novel was inspired by Schulman's experience of hearing readings of Beat writing at the 8th Street Bookshop when she was a child. The title is inspired by a line from Kerouac's novel,[2] On the Road, which reads: "Somewhere along the line I knew there'd be girls, visions, everything".[1]
While Schulman's first novel The Sophie Horowitz Story and her third novel After Delores are crime thrillers, Girls,Visions and Everything is a literary novel. However, its urban setting and the characterization of Lila do draw from crime fiction tropes. The novel is also a homage to the writing of Jack Kerouac.[1] Feminist scholar Kim Emery wrote that in the novel "lesbian-feminism meets Jack Kerouac in a pragmatic critique of "American" arrogance".[3] Schulman uses the urban landscape of New York City to illustrate relationships between characters and make social commentary.[4][1]
Schulman wrote the novel while waitressing at a cafe and decided to get an MFA afterwards.[5]
Reception
Publishers Weekly gave the novel a mixed review, writing that "Unfortunately Schulman tries to imitate Kerouac's writing style rather than develop her own voice."[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 Munt, Sally Rowena (2003-09-02). Murder by the Book?: Feminism and the Crime Novel. Routledge. pp. 173–174. ISBN 978-1-134-83843-1.
- ↑ "Person-to-Person: Sarah Schulman | Dispatches Magazine". dispatchesmag.com. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ↑ Emery, Kim (2002-01-01). The Lesbian Index: Pragmatism and Lesbian Subjectivity in the Twentieth-Century United States. SUNY Press. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-7914-5223-3.
- ↑ Willett, Ralph (1996). The Naked City: Urban Crime Fiction in the USA. Manchester University Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7190-4300-0.
- ↑ ""What Ever Happened to Complexity?" - The Gay & Lesbian Review". glreview.org. Retrieved 2026-03-22.
- ↑ "Girls, Visions, and Everything by Sarah Schulman". www.publishersweekly.com. 1986. Retrieved 2026-03-22.