The Literature of Rebellion

The voice of dissent in contemporary American Literature and Society.

After the Atom Bomb The end of WWII the start of the Cold War and the creation of the Atom Bomb, brought about a paradigm shift, that would change America and the rest of the world forever. Post-war era America was very conservative, conformist, ‘family friendly’ society. A place where the teens felt marginalised. Sandwiched between the new baby boomers and the older generations, the teenagers finally found a voice.

The Birth of the Beats Lucian Carr Jack Kerouac Allen Ginsberg William S. Burroughs

In 1944 the main players in what later became known as the ‘Beat Generation’ met in New York. A phrase first used by Kerouac in 1948 to refer to the disaffected youth of America at the time.

The First and Last Beat Neal Cassady (1926 - 1968) was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic movement of the 1960s. Photo of Cassady taken by Allen Ginsberg in 1955.

He served as the model for the character Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road.

Neal Cassady (right) with Timothy Leary in 1964.

1950s America After WWII, a new energy spread the country. A boom in industry and innovation, saw the economy grow, and birth-rates soared. The 1950s was dominated by the clash between the capitalism of the USA and the communism of the USSR. Signified by the Korean War, the on-going Cold War, an increase in nuclear testing and the start of the Space Race. The teenager had emerged, looking for an identity of their own. They found it in Jazz and Rock ‘n’ Roll music, in dancing, fashion, and the written words of the Beat writers.

The Catcher in the Rye In 1951 J. D. Salinger’s novel was published. The novel's antihero, Holden Caulfield, became an icon for teenage rebellion. The book is said to be one of the best novels of the 20th Century.

Movies, Music and the Novel In 1955 the movie Blackboard Jungle was released. Based on a 1954 novel by Evan Hunter. The story of delinquent teenagers in an inner-city school. The movie is also noted as spreading the Rock ‘n’ Roll revolution, as it featured the song Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets during the opening credits.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Rebel

White suburban America was afraid of the ‘primitive tribal beats’, whose roots originated in rhythm and blues of black America. It was banned from radio, records smashed, church leaders called it the “Devil’s Music”.

Rebels in the Cinema ‘The Wild One’ was the 1953 movie starring Marlon Brando, based on the short story, The Cyclists' Raid by Frank Rooney published in 1951. ‘Rebel Without A Cause’ was released in 1955, starring James Dean. Based on the 1944 book about teenage angst and delinquency by Robert M. Lindner.

The Iconic Rebel Brando’s image of the outlaw biker, and James Dean’s of the angst filled teenager became iconic symbols of rebellion.

Even to this day they are symbols of ‘cool’. Images of the outsider, the maverick.

Fahrenheit 451 Fahrenheit 451 is a 1953 dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and firemen burn any house that has them. The novel’s protagonist Guy Montag is a fireman who rebels against the system by reading books.

The Beats Go West In the mid-1950s, the central figures of the Beats (with the exception of Burroughs) ended up in San Francisco. On Oct. 7th 1955 at the Six Gallery, Allen Ginsberg read his poem ‘Howl’ for the first time in public.

Ginsberg reading Howl at Gallery Six (1955)

There that night was Jack Kerouac, who wrote about it in his 1958 novel Dharma Bums.

Key Works of the Beats

1956 1959

1957

The Beatniks Beatniks were a media stereotype depicted as cartoonish versions of the real-life people in Jack Kerouac's fiction. The stereotype was absorbed into American culture. The ‘Beatnik’ sold books, sold black turtleneck sweaters and bongos, berets and dark glasses. It sold ‘hip’ jazz music, and sold a way of life that seemed like dangerous fun.

The Legacy Of the Beats In 1982, Ginsberg wrote the effects the Beats had on society: •Spiritual liberation, sexual "revolution" or "liberation." •Liberation of the world from censorship. •Demystification of cannabis and other drugs. •The evolution of rhythm ‘n’ blues into rock ‘n’ roll. •The spread of ecological consciousness. •Opposition to the militaryindustrial machine civilization. •Return to an appreciation of idiosyncrasy as against state regimentation. •Respect for land and indigenous peoples and creatures, as proclaimed by Kerouac in his slogan from On the Road: "The Earth is an Indian thing."