Beat-Generation1垮掉的一代(英美文学)

英教二班2009140132张玉印FourImportantWritersLikethe“LostGeneration”ofthe1920s,theAmerican“BeatGeneration”ofthe1950snamesbothaliterarycurrentandabroaderculturalphenomenonormood.Rejectingtheconformismandstresson“normality”oftheTrumanandEisenhoweryears,theBeatsemphasizedanopennesstovarietiesofexperiencebeyondthelimitsofmiddle-classsociety;theyexploredthecultural“underground”ofbebopjazz(比博普爵士乐),druguse,sexuality,andnon-Westernreligions.TheBeatGeneration:Why?TheCounterCulturalChainofInfluence!WilliamWordsworth,aRomanticpoetJackKerouacBobDylanTheBeatswerepartofa“countercultural”movement.ThismeansthatthemembersoftheBeatGenerationsharedideasandvaluesthatdidnotcoincidewithmainstreamsocialvalues.EarliercounterculturessuchastheEuropeanRomanticsandBohemiansinfluencedtheBeatGeneration,justastheBeatswouldinfluencetheHippiesintheUnitedStates.TheBeatGeneration:When?TheNewYorkBeatsmetandwrotetheirmostproductiveworkinthelate1940sand1950s.Theywererespondingtoanumberofculturaleventsandattitudes,themostnotablebeingWorldWarII,andtheultra-conservativemiddleclass.1950sNYCNuclearFamily1950sTechnology!TheBeatGeneration:Who?PicturedfromlefttorightisLucienCarr,JackKerouac,AllenGinsberg,andWilliamBurroughs.Kerouac,Ginsberg,andBurroughsaretheprincipalliteraryfiguresoftheNewYorkBeatMovement.TheBeatGeneration:Where?GreenwichVillage,NYCThefoundingmembersoftheBeatGenerationmetinNewYorkCity.KerouacandGinsbergbothattendedColumbiaUniversityinNewYork,andBurroughs(theeldestofthethree)wasaHarvardgraduate.MEMBERS•TheoriginalBeatGenerationwritersmetinNewYork:JackKerouac,AllenGinsberg,WilliamS.Burroughs,(in1948)andlater(in1950)GregoryCorso(theyaresometimescalledtheNewYorkBeatsthoughonlyCorsowasfromNewYork).Beat,What?!?•Beingtired,“downandout”,oreventemporarilydefeatedUponfurtherexamination,JackKerouac(theunofficialspokesmanoftheBeats)addedothersometimesparadoxicalorironicmeanings:•Amusicalconnotation:asinbeing“onthebeat”.TheBeatGenerationwasinfluencedheavilybythepopularmusicofthetimebebop,andlaterJazz.•Aspiritualmeaning:“beatific”,whichisliterallyexperiencingorbestowingcelestialjoy,orresemblinganangelorasaint.JackKerouacHewasbornJean-LouisKerouacin1922.HisparentswereFrenchCanadian,andconsequentlyyoungJacklearnedEnglishassecondlanguage.Atfour,hisbelovedbrotherGerarddiedofafever,andithadaprofoundimpactonJack.JackwasraisedinLowell,Massachusetts,andwasagiftedathleteasayouth,earninghimascholarshiptoColumbiaUniversity.JackKerouacAfterbeingdischargedfromtheNavy,JackroamedtheUnitedStatesandMexico,bycarandbuswhenpossible,butalsobyhitchhikingandasanillegalpassengerontrains.Itwastheseexperiences,aswellasafriendshipwithNealCassadythatwouldprovidethematerialforhismostfamousnovel,OnTheRoad.ThoughhecompletedOnTheRoadintwodrugandcoffeefueledweeksin1948,itwouldnotbepublisheduntil1957.CassadyandKerouacOnTheRoad•OnTheRoadisthefirsttimethatKerouac’suniquestyleisrecognizable.Thekindoffree-flowingstreamofconsciousnesswritinghepromotedwasidentifiedas“spontaneousprose”.Thiswasbasedaroundthetheoryoffirstthought=bestthought,andbecauseofthisphilosophy,Kerouacrarelyeditedhiswork.Heexpoundsonhiswritingtechniqueinotherworks,AllenGinsberg•GinsbergwasbornintoaJewishfamilyinNewark,NewJersey,andgrewupinnearbyPaterson.Hisfatherwasapoetandhighschoolteacher.Ginsberg'smotherwasanactivememberoftheCommunistPartyandoftentookGinsbergandhisbrotherEugenetopartymeetings.GinsberglatersaidthathismotherMadeupbedtimestoriesthatallwentsomethinglike:'Thegoodkingrodeforthfromhiscastle,sawthesufferingworkersandhealedthem.'AllenGinsbergAllenwasenrolledinColumbiaUniversity,whichputhimintherightplaceattherighttimetomeettheotherBeats.Theyoungestofthecrew,hewasperhapsthemostimpressionable.GinsbergandBurroughsareinthecenter.AllenGinsberg“Howl”dealsveryfranklywithdrugs,sex,andthegrittiersideofcityliving.Becauseofitslanguageandsubjectmatter,customsofficialsseizedallcopiesofit,whichledtoa1957obscenity(猥亵;淫秽)trial.WiththehelpoftheAmericanCivilLibertiesUnion,Howlwasonceagainallowedtobesold.Thislandmarkcasesetaprecedentagainstcensorshipthathashadahugeeffectontheliteratureweareabletoreadtoday.Theobscenitytrialfor“Howl”WilliamBurroughsTheoldestBeat,Burroughswasbornin1914inSt.LouisMissouri.Hisfamilywasrelativelyaffluent;hisgrandfatherwastheinventoroftheaddingmachine.HegraduatedfromHarvardin1936.In1943,hemovestoNewYork,wherehemeetsKerouacandGinsberg.WilliamBurroughsBurroughsisknownforhisexperimentalstyle.Thesettingofhisnovelsareusuallynightmarish,andoccasionallywildlyhumorous.Theyarealsomarkedbyexplicitmentionofdrugsandsex.CoverofBurrough’sNakedLunch,whichwasalsomadeintoafilmin1991.WilliamBurroughsBurroughswashimselfadrugaddict,notablyheroin.Hisdrugexperiencesfueledhiswriting,andafterhegotsober,hewroteJunkie,abizarreandhallucinatorywork.BookCoverforJunkieWilliamBurroughsThoughopenlyhomosexual,BurroughsmarriedawomanandmovedwithhertoMexico,afavoriteBeatdestination.WhileperformingaWilliamTellgagin1951,Burroughsaccidentallyshothiswifeinthehead,andthatinjurywouldprovefatal.Burroughsbeingquestionedforthemurderofhiswife.Will