The Beat Generation Uncovered

The Beat Generation was mostly composed of the authors Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William S. Burrough. Allen Ginsberg is known for writing Howl. Jack Kerouac is known for writing “On the Road”. Finally, William S. Burrough is known for writing Naked Lunch. The characteristics of these works included open-form composition, spontaneity, spiritual curiosity, etc… The writers were known for including obscene imagery and words into their writings. Typically, the topics they discussed in their writings were drugs, sexuality, and hostile behavior. Jack Kerouac coined the term “Beat Generation” in 1948 in order to expand the way of writing to outside of his group of friends. He used it to describe and characterize the youth gathering in New York that supported anti-conformity. Allen Ginsberg’s first line of his poem, Howl, states, “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness”. (Howl page 1). My interpretation of this quote is that he thought of conformity as madness. He didn’t see the point in doing so and following everyone else’s ideas of a “normal” persona.

The members of the Beat Generation originated in Upper Manhattan in the late 1940s and migrated to San Francisco after their group had actually formed. It took them years to actually get published, however. It is known that they formed a strong bond during this time. Each member served as a system of support for the other members of the group. This support system kept them from giving up hope during hard times and they eventually worked through it and got published. The first major event that happened in terms of publicity was Allen Ginsberg’s reading of Howl at the Six Gallery in San Francisco. He read his poetry to a small group of people and it was a way for his work to gain recognition and eventually spread his popularity.

After the first group of the Beat Generation established themselves, there was actually a second wave. The members included Bob Kaufman, Diane DiPrima, Ed Sanders, Anne Waldman, Ray Bremser and Ted Joans. Their works included Golden Sardine, Tales of Beatnik Glory, The Truth, etc… Two of the members, Bob Kaufman and Ted Joans, were jazz poets. These “second wavers” of the Beat Generation as a whole were all huge fans of the first wave of the Beat Generation. They are known to have worked together with some of the members including Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. All together, the second wave of the Beat Generation incorporated more diversity into the overall Generation. There were jazz poets which before this era, was not as popular. There were also women in the second wave. This was different from the first wave because the first wave consisted of middle-aged white men. The women incorporated ideas that might not have been considered before this. They were also incorporated into different films done on the era.

Overall, the Beat Generation was self-sustained. The reception wasn’t always great but after long struggles, the writers got the recognition that they deserved. The legacy included a whole separate wave of writers who aspired to continue the ideas of the first wave. Also, their books and poetry are still used today to give people a unique insight into those times.

Works Cited

Ginsberg, Allen. Howl. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1959.

Asher, Levi. "The Beat Generation". Literary Kicks. July 25, 1994 .