What is the critical reputation of On the Road today?

[Alfred001]

Is it regarded as one of the great novels in the history of English literature or just an artifact of the beat generation or something in between?

[kev67]

Is it regarded as one of the great novels in the history of English literature or just an artifact of the beat generation or something in between?

On the plus side, it is still in print. I read it seceral years ago. I was unimpressed myself, but it was different. It had a sense of time and place. The copy I read had a very attractive cover. When a publisher invests in a nice cover on an established book, it probably means it's some sort of classic.