The eNotes Blog Jack Kerouac American Literary Baddie to theStars

Jack Kerouac American Literary Baddie to theStars Today were going to talk about an American legend: Jack Kerouac. Jack was a pretty amazing writer, not just in the work he created but also in his methodology for doing so. Like so many of us, he was not a big fan of the revision and re-write process. He was also  invested in the New York Jazz scene, and at the time that was about as cool as having backstage passes to a Justin Bieber concert, amirite? (I dont actually know what the cool kids listen toI still like jazz.) Read on to learn a bit about this literary icon, his books, and what makes him continue to be a big name on the list of American writers. [OVERVIEW] Why is Jack Kerouac Still a Big Deal? Jack Kerouac was one of the founding members of the Beat Generation of American literature. In fact,  Jack Kerouac was the acknowledged leader and spokesman for the Beat Generation. Its  underlying philosophy could loosely be described as  visionary enlightenment, Zen Buddhism, and Amerindian culture. The Beat Generation  as a whole adopted  these ideals and served to influence American culture in the post–World War  II era. Jack Kerouac Did a Great Job with Vernacular Part of Kerouacs aesthetic was his love of jazz and how freely the music seemed to come to the musicians- they didnt worry about whether  it would make sense.  Kerouac eventually developed the writing style (that still exists today, though its not often taught) known as spontaneous prose. Kerouac would observe and take notes  on a subject for months or  years at a time, and then put  all of these thoughts down on paper at once; after years on the road with friend Neal Cassady, Kerouac eventually settled down to write  On the Road in a period of about three weeks. He Was a  Master at Reflecting  His Point in Time The Beat Generation was extremely reflective of the Post–World War II  era. At this time, there was a huge exploration into alternative ways of life  (basically, a mini 60s-  and  70s-style revolution). Kerouacs work reflected  these views- his tone and subjects often conveyed  attitudes of excitement  that were  demonstrated in colloquial ways. He Had  Some Good Views on Freedom Kerouacs views on freedom may have  come from his difficult childhood and the number of doors that slammed in his face (the football team and the Marines, for example). As a result, he  rebelled. Kerouac and his character in  On the Road made their way by doing the exact opposite of what society told them to do- and the results are entertaining and a bit inspirational. In On the Road, Kerouac echoes ideas of American freedom and  the  boundless energy the country was experiencing in the aftermath of World War II.   Sal and Dean jump into the car and driveand driveand drive. There is little in terms of an exact destination because freedom and individuality are depicted as journeys in their own right, without a need for a defined end. He Was a Buddhist The Wests  interest in Eastern religions has been around for, well, a long time. But Eastern religions werent  commonly seen in practice until the later decades of the 20th century. Its arguable that it was the Beat Movement that led to this alternative view of religion. In his  book  The  Dharma Bums,  Kerouac writes about the spiritual experiences of  the character Ray and  his friends. The book  focuses in particular on the characters contact with  Buddhism. He Wasnt into Censorship Free speech has obviously been a thing in the United States since the whole drafting of the Constitution thing went down. We all know that there are some things that simply  arent always appropriate for a wide audience (like if I suddenly started talking about how Kim K. got famous- not appropriate here). Well, back in the 50s, this idea of inappropriateness was even more widespread, and that didnt really jive with Kerouacs wild experiences on the road. Kerouac also saw revisions on ones work as a form of literary lying and all but refused to do it. With all that in mind, it makes sense that the original version of  On the Road  that he attempted to publish was full of sex, drugs, and rock n roll, and no one knows if Kerouac folded on his principles and edited the novel or if his editor went ahead and did it for him. Were thinking the latter, though. P.S. He Was Kind of a Total Babe