On the Road

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 5

The US in the 1950's
What do you remember from the last lesson?

The Beat Generation

• Literary movement
• Group of authors that influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era
• Published and popularised during the 50s
• non-conformity and spontaneous creativity
• Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burough and Jack Kerouac

The name: Beat Generation

• Kerouac introduced it in 1948 to characterize a perceived underground, anti-conformist youth movement in New York
• connotations: upbeat and beatific (positive image)
• and a musical association: on the beat. 

Central elements of the Beats

• rejection of the standard  narrative values
• making a spiritual quest
• the exploration of American and Eastern religions
• rejection of economic materialism
• explicit portrayals of human condition
• experimentation with psychedelic drugs
• sexual liberation and exploration
• Liberation from censorship

Why is this type of movement formed during a period as the 1950s?

Against the Christian beliefs of the 1950s

The Beats: 

• were openly gay or bisexual 
• writing about interracial love affairs and group sex
•  used drugs: marihuana, morphine, LSD, peyote, ayahuasca
• heavily influenced by Jazz

Jack Kerouac

March 12, 1922- October 21, 1969

On the Road became his succes and made him a Beat Icon.

With other he become the progenitor(founding father)  of the hippie movement. 

Why is it so important to these characters and the people they are based on to explore and discover new things?

On The Road

• characters based on real life people, like Alan Ginsberg and William Burroughs
•  it's the journey and not the destination that counts
• One of the most quintessentially American novels
• carefree spirits that were always in search of the next big thrill

On The Road

• much of On the Road is inspired by actual events (and adventures) that Kerouac, or a close friend, experienced. 
• The Beats didn’t want to just imagine escapades, they wanted to live them. 
• Manuscript was written on one long scroll of paper. 

Themes

• dissatisfaction
• madness
• sadness
• friendship
• drugs
• sex 
• visions of America
• contrasting regions
• versions of reality