The first major Beatnik publication was Allen Ginsberg’s Howl, in 1956. This long form poem was intended to be read aloud, almost chanted. Foul language and slang are common throughout Howl as well as drug use and criminality. This scandalous imagery was extremely shocking for published literature in the 1950’s (Lee, 33). One particularly profane stanza reads, “Who bit detectives in the neck and shrieked with delight in police cars for committing/ no crime but their own wild cooking pederasty and intoxication, / who howled on their knees in the subway and were dragged off the roof waving/ genitals and manuscripts, / who let themselves be fucked in the ass by saintly motorcyclists, and screamed with/ joy. (Ginsberg, 1)” Ginsberg’s writing created vivid imagery that pushed the boundaries of acceptable literature. The content of Howl raised eyebrows and sparked an obscenity trail. The case was widely publicized and appeared in both Time and Life magazines. The trail was conducted to create guidelines that would determine what content was considered pornographic (Gair, 24). This controversial trial challenged the definition of obscenity in American society. Ultimately Ginsberg won and Howl was not deemed pornographic. Thus allowing poetry and other literature to remain free of censorship for years to come.
The next published piece of Beatnik Literature was “This Is The Beat Generation” by John Clellon Holmes in 1954. This New York Times article was widely considered the manifesto for the Beat Generation (Lee, 47). The article introduced the term Beat Generation to the world. Holmes’ manifesto is very beautifully written, utilizing metaphoric and analogous language that mimicked the tropes and literature styles typically favored by Beatnik authors. In the manifesto, Holmes notes that society compares the new “Beat Generation” to the “Lost Generation” of the post World War I era. He calls this comparison valuable but also notes that the “Wild boys of today are not lost” (Holmes, 2). He discusses at some length, the world in which the youth of the Beat Generation grew up in, “During the collective bad circumstances of a dreary depression,” he writes that the Beatniks are a generation that was “weaned during collective uprooting of a global war” (Holmes, 4). Holmes further separates the Beat Generation from the Lost Generation saying that the youth of the Beat Generation “Drink to ‘come down’…not to illustrate anything” (Holmes, 4). He claims that their excursions and exploration with drugs and sexual promiscuity come out of curiosity, not disillusionment. It is a generation with a “Greater facility for entertaining ideas than for believing in them” (Holmes, 2). Holmes makes the argument that these feelings among the youth did not solely affect those associated with the Beat Generation. He draws comparisons between the Beats and the Young Republican, because “both have had enough homelessness, valuelessness and faithlessness… there is no single philosophy, no singly party, no single attitude”(Holmes, 5). Holmes argues that both the Young Republican and the Beatnik are “the result of more or less the same conviction- namely that the valueless abyss of modern life is unbearable” (Holmes, 6). This outlook of the upbringing of the Beat Generation mimics the values Kerouac meant to convey when he coined these subculturists ‘Beatniks’. Holmes continued to be self critical within his manifesto, and although he declares and outlines what constitutes the Beat Generation, he also recognizes the insanity and impossibility of labeling an entire generation (Holmes, 1). The Times piece is eloquent and diplomatic, Holmes conveys the ideals of the Beat Generation humbly, and draws parallels to a variety of other Post World War II stereotypes, hoping to help society better understand Beatniks, rather than villainize them.
Other Beatnik literature that defined the generation followed Ginsberg’s Howl and Holmes, “This Is The Beat Generation” in suit. In 1957 Jack Kerouac published On The Road, a philosophical narrative that blends a stream of consciousness, drug visions, and profound observations into a generational statement that resonates with adventuresome youth to this day (Menand, 5). Kerouac also published The Dharma Bums, which introduced Buddhism and other East Asian religions to American society. Prior to its publishing, American’s religious views were extremely linear and rarely investigated foreign polytheistic religions (Lee, 40). Another influential novel was Naked Lunch by William S. Burrough. This non-fiction literature embodied the spirit of reckless abandon for which the Beat Generation was known. Burroughs called his literary technique, “cut-up”. A form which he borrowed themes and styles from collage, and cubism rather than traditional narrative plots. As a result, Naked Lunch is widely recognized as a difficult novel to engage with, yet readers continue to be drawn to it for its style, and unique innovative use of language (Lee, 46). Famous beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and owner of the famous San Francisco Bookstore, The City Lights, displayed a jazz-inspired rhythm within his work (Gair, 32). His poems exuded an inspirational spirit, and Ferlinghetti was known for his combination of humor and darkness, a perfect reflection of the state of America (and the world) in the post World War II era.
Other Beatnik literature that defined the generation followed Ginsberg’s Howl and Holmes, “This Is The Beat Generation” in suit. In 1957 Jack Kerouac published On The Road, a philosophical narrative that blends a stream of consciousness, drug visions, and profound observations into a generational statement that resonates with adventuresome youth to this day (Menand, 5). Kerouac also published The Dharma Bums, which introduced Buddhism and other East Asian religions to American society. Prior to its publishing, American’s religious views were extremely linear and rarely investigated foreign polytheistic religions (Lee, 40). Another influential novel was Naked Lunch by William S. Burrough. This non-fiction literature embodied the spirit of reckless abandon for which the Beat Generation was known. Burroughs called his literary technique, “cut-up”. A form which he borrowed themes and styles from collage, and cubism rather than traditional narrative plots. As a result, Naked Lunch is widely recognized as a difficult novel to engage with, yet readers continue to be drawn to it for its style, and unique innovative use of language (Lee, 46). Famous beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and owner of the famous San Francisco Bookstore, The City Lights, displayed a jazz-inspired rhythm within his work (Gair, 32). His poems exuded an inspirational spirit, and Ferlinghetti was known for his combination of humor and darkness, a perfect reflection of the state of America (and the world) in the post World War II era.