Howl- The Beat Generation

The Beat Generation, like many other movements, started out as a handful of friends and became an influential force for a generation. Although their works were very original, mostly due to their profanity and controversial subjects, their ideas were being felt around the nation. There were many important historical events happening at the time, and the original “beatniks” became the leaders of the young generation.
Those recognized today as being part of the core group included Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg and a few others. They met and first started to collaborate at Columbia University in the mid 1940’s. During the next decade America became a country of conformists, fearful of the wrath of McCarthyism. The Beats wanted to create a counter cultural movement, one that experimented with drugs, pushed social boundaries, and broke away from the past.
From the time that these men first met until the mid 1950’s, all of them struggled to be published. Kerouac and Burroughs wrote novels, while Ginsberg developed his own unique style of poetry, although it was heavily influenced by Walt Whitman. The turning point in the movement came after they had migrated from New York to San Francisco, becoming friends with the people associated with the San Francisco Renaissance.
Allen Ginsberg had all but given up hope of ever being published. He finally decided to write “Howl” as a personal expression of the antics of he and his friends. His reading of “Howl” at The Six Gallery on December 13th, 1955 was wildly popular and spring boarded all of the Beats’ careers. After the positive reception he received, Ginsberg got “Howl” published. The book’s main success came when the second edition was being released, “Howl” was put on trial for its “obscene nature” in 1957. The book was cleared of all charges and helped fuel the Beat Movement across the country.
“On the Road” by Jack Kerouac was released four weeks before the obscenity trial. Written in 1951, it took years for Kerouac to find a publisher because of what they deemed his experimental writing style, and details of homosexual relations. When it was finally published, he was hailed as the voice of a generation, and a major American writer. This time period was successful for the Beats critically, commercially, and in spreading their message of counter culture.
After this first wave of Beat Generation writers became famous, a second wave followed, adding the important element of diversity to the mix. This diversity helped to spread their message farther, as the core group of original Beats was composed of middle aged white men. It also added new ideas and talent to the movement.
Ginsberg was quoted as saying, “Nobody knows whether we were catalysts or invented something, or just the froth riding on a wave of its own. We were all three I suppose.” (Parkins) The original beatniks led a generation of young people who wanted to rebel, and the victories in the obscenity trials helped to bring liberation to what could be published all over the U.S. They also worked for the evolution of jazz, blues, and rock into a higher art form, inspiring artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan along the way. America was ready for a change, and the Beats and their legacy were there to deliver.

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

Parkins, Keith. "The Beat Generation." Mar. 2005.