Rails under My Back de Jeffery Renard Allen, ou «Voodoo Child (Slight Reprise)»?

Abstract

This presentation of Jeffery Renard Allen's novel Rails Under my Back examines how voices are layered with quotations and images that grow with every mention. Several recurrent motifs, such as the color red or the train, structure space thematically and build up a rhythm somewhat akin to jazz music. This multi-layered, teemingly rich novel raises the issue of the substance of one's heritage in language against fragmented meaning and the complexity of experience.