Publication details
Hipsters, Beatniks, and Juvenile Delinquents: The Rise of the Beat Generation Stereotype
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2018 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Thanks to the obscenity trial of Ginsberg’s Howl and Other Poems and the enthusiastic review of Kerouac’s On the Road in New York Times, the Beat Generation writers quickly established themselves in public discourse. However, the popular representation of the Beats soon took on a life of its own and quickly developed into something far removed from what Kerouac or Ginsberg imagined. From magazines such as Time or Life to movies like Live Fast, Die Young (1958), the Beats were repackaged into a sensationalistic image combining fears of juvenile delinquency with a disdainful attitude towards anyone opposing current social mores. By analyzing a variety of contemporary sources, the presentation documents the changes to the public representation of the Beats which took place during the period, and focuses on the transition of the “beatnik” stereotype from its early violent form to its more docile iteration of the 1960s. |