THE ROAD TO NOWHERE: SKETCHES IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL by MATTHEW L. FORSYTHE (Under the Direction of Reginald McKnight) ABSTRACT The Road to Nowhere is a novel about David Kingman, a math teacher from the fictional town of Midfield, Ohio. The plot itself is straightforward: one Friday in October, Dave skips school. He is determined to climb Shuckstack, a mountain in the Smokies that he once hiked with his Grandpa, but his plan devolves, transformed into picaresque encounters with characters that distract, harass, and befriend him along the way. Modeled after a trail guide, the novel‘s structure reflects this fragmentation. The sketches are narrative prose, but they also incorporate maps, photographs, and even mathematics assignments. Many occur on the roads and trails that link Midfield to Shuckstack, while others explore the events from Dave‘s past that forged his peculiar character. The novel is preceded by a critical introduction, ―On Amusement Parks, Maps, and the Perils of Realism: Fragmented Thoughts on a Sketchy Creation,‖ which examines the origin and development of the manuscript. The essay touches on places and people in the author‘s life that have influenced the novel‘s content; it also discusses the project‘s structure and works of literature that provided inspiration. The title of the novel is a reference to an abandoned construction project within Great Smoky Mountains National Park, an incomplete road that suggests a metaphor for Dave‘s quest and his life as a whole. The subtitle is a nod to the fragmented presentation and the ongoing nature of the work. INDEX WORDS: Novel, Fiction, Hiking, Journeys, Great Smoky Mountains, Ohio, Interstate 75, Mathematics, Christian Education, Grandfathers, Maps. THE ROAD TO NOWHERE: SKETCHES IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL by MATTHEW L. FORSYTHE B.A., Calvin College, 1997 M.A., University of Tennessee, 1999 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2011 © 2011 Matthew L. Forsythe All Rights Reserved THE ROAD TO NOWHERE: SKETCHES IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL by MATTHEW L. FORSYTHE Major Professor: Reginald McKnight Committee: Judith Ortiz Cofer Doug Anderson Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia August 2011 iv DEDICATION For Gretchen. Discerning reader, loving partner, patient wife. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I want to thank the members of my committee — Reg McKnight, Judith Ortiz Cofer, and Doug Anderson — for their insight and encouragement. Reg and Judith have been generous and challenging mentors. I respect their advice and value their friendship. Professors at Tennessee and Calvin deserve to be mentioned as well: Allen Wier, Karen Saupe, Gary Schmidt, Lionel Basney . the tip of the iceberg, a handful of the many teachers who have shaped my career as a writer and academic. My colleagues have provided valuable support. They witnessed the project‘s evolution, and their observations informed the work‘s development: Andy Jameson, Jenn Blair, John Spiers, Joshua Hussey, and many others. Special thanks goes to Jeff Newberry and Andy Frazee, writers who entered the program with me, as well as my peers whose emphasis is literature, especially Emily and Nicole. I have been blessed with a talented cohort during my years in Athens. Encouragement came from outside the department as well — friends and family in Knoxville, Nashville, Dayton, Grand Rapids, and Tampa. Tom Okie offered a perceptive reading of the opening sections, and close friends in Athens cheered the work‘s progress, even though its completion would mean our imminent departure. Mom and Dad, thank you. You have always valued and celebrated reading, and you nurtured the imagination of your children, even as they envisioned paths that led them far away from home. Shelly, I can‘t wait for your own dissertation to leave this one in the dust. Juli & Dennis, we slip into the minds of horses and characters, and the vi principles of construction are applicable to decks as well as novels. Granddad & Grandmother, Nana & Papa: watching your lives has taught me how to live. Gretchen. What can I say? Your advice on the manuscript has been indispensible, the critical eye that only a gifted reader can possess. But your love was even more significant. You celebrated the breakthroughs and endured the silliness. You‘ve kept me focused, and you led me away from despair. I will write many stories in the coming decades. None of them will shape my life as you have. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................v ON AMUSEMENT PARKS, MAPS, AND THE PERILS OF REALISM: FRAGMENTED THOUGHTS ON A SKETCHY CREATION.........................................1 THE ROAD TO NOWHERE: SKETCHES IN SEARCH OF A NOVEL ......................44 Prelude: Fontana Dam................................................................................45 Overture: East Tennessee ...........................................................................48 Review Problem – Overture.......................................................................51 SECTION I: THE DRAGON‘S BREW ...............................................................52 Suspect Driving ..........................................................................................53 Mailbox Baseball .......................................................................................57 Scenic Overlook: Highway 129 .................................................................63 Piss Off, Deacon ........................................................................................65 A Toast to the Roast ...................................................................................73 The French Broad ......................................................................................78 Review Problem – Section I ......................................................................85 SECTION II: MILLER LIGHT ............................................................................86 Recluse .......................................................................................................87 Travel by Barrel .........................................................................................91 Checklist ....................................................................................................93 Inventory ....................................................................................................94 viii The Great G— M— ...................................................................................97 Gordon and the Fleece .............................................................................106 Living Under Prayer ................................................................................113 Hair Metal Songs That Would Make Excellent Themes for a Christian High School Missions Trip (And/Or Chapel Service) .............................122 Pirates from The Church of Christ ...........................................................128 Two by Tuesday: A Triptych ...................................................................132 Recluse: Reprise.......................................................................................142 Review Problem – Section II ...................................................................146 SECTION III: LEAPS OF FAITH .....................................................................147 One Small Step for Matt ..........................................................................148 Nearby Attractions ...................................................................................160 Notes – EagleNet .....................................................................................162 Twelve Bucks an Hour.............................................................................167 YourChildsASlacker.com ........................................................................168 Southern Drift ..........................................................................................181 Bored Games ............................................................................................186 ―R.O.U.S.? I don‘t think they exist‖ .......................................................189 Notes – Fischer College ...........................................................................196 Notes – Hendricks Dining Commons ......................................................199 Mission Control .......................................................................................202 Review Problem – Section III ..................................................................206 SECTION IV: THE BALLAD OF MR. PETE ..................................................207 Grandpa Speaks of Pittsburgh: Take I .....................................................208 ix Foreign Men .............................................................................................211 Missionary Journeys ................................................................................212 Mr. Pete to the Rescue .............................................................................213 Mr. Pete‘s Speech: A Close Reading & Deconstruction .........................218 Rocket Launchers and Disenchantment ...................................................222 The Trinity of Mr. Pete ............................................................................225