美国文学论文.docx

美国文学论文.docx

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美国文学论文

摘要

关于“垮掉的一代”是很难用简单几个字就能形容清楚的，他们疯狂，放纵，堕落，沉沦；同时他们又坦率，真诚，积极，有追求。

   他们并没有能力改变生活与其中的那个守旧古板的社会，他们能做到的只是厌倦和逃避，把金钱、地位、社会职责、家庭义务一概抛弃，从吸毒、性爱、爵士乐等感官欲望的满足来把握自我，解放个性，直接获得全新的生命体验。

   他们试图通过直接获得生命体验，从而以人最基本的生命存在为基础，探索新的生活方式、新的信仰、新的价值观念、新的人与人之间的关系。

他们并没有“被击败”，更没有“垮掉”，他们的生活及艺术实践都显示出他们对人生进攻的姿态，他们追求冒险与创新，勇敢地探索人生真谛。

   本文试着探究“垮掉”精神的本质，重新看待“垮掉”意义。

关键词：

“垮掉的一代”，极端行为，年轻面孔，信仰缺失

Abstract

It’sagenerationhardtosummaryinaword,theywerecrazy,undisciplined,desperateandself-indulgent,andhowever,theywerealsoactive,ambitiousandsincere.

    Theycertainlydidnothavetheabilitytochangelifewhichisindeedconservativeandold-fashioned.Whattheycoulddowastoescapefromit,theygaveupmoney,status,socialresponsibilityandfamilyobligation,theygotpleasurefromtakingaddictivedrugs,sexualloveandjazzetc.Inpursuitofsensationalexperience,theytriedtofreethemselvesfromoldideas,andlookforanewlifestyle,newfaith,newvalues,andnewrelationswitheachother.Theyweren’t“beat”down,asthetermapparentlysuggested.Theirlifeandartpracticebothdemonstratetheiractiveattitudetowardsthelife. Theytookrisk,broughtforthnewideas,andexploredtrueessenceoflifebravely.

   ThisarticletriestoprobeintotheessenceofthespiritoftheBeatGenerationandoffersanewpointofviewtoapproachthisculturaltrend.

KeyWords：

theBeatGeneration，extremebehavior，youngface，lostfaith

TableofContents

摘要…………………………………………………………………..………………..i

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………….ii

TableofContents…………………………………………………………...……..…iii

PartⅠ.introduction…………………………………………………...……………...1

partⅡ.“Thebeats”beatingthesociety…………….……………………………......1

2.1thelivingsocialenvironment………………………………………………...1

2.2thebehaviorof“TheBeats”…………………………..…..………………….12.2.1,Insociety……………………………………………………………….12.2.2,Inthefieldofliterature……………………………………………….2

partⅢ.    “TheBeats”butnotdown……………………...………………………...3

3.1thedifferencebetween“theBeatgeneration”and“theLostGeneration”.3

3.2TheBeatsandreligion……………………...............................................4

3.3MyviewontheBeatGeneration……………………………………………..4

PartⅣ.Conclusion…………………………………………………………...................5

Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….6

"Beat"doesnotcollapse-——aboutthe"BeatGeneration"oftheU.S.in50s

PartI.    Introduction

   Likethe"LostGeneration"ofthe1920s,theAmerican"BeatGeneration"ofthe1950snamesbothaliterarycurrentandabroaderculturalphenomenonormood.Rejectingtheconformismandstresson"normality"oftheTrumanandEisenhoweryears,theBeatsemphasizedanopennesstovarietiesofexperiencebeyondthelimitsofmiddle-classsociety;theyexploredthecultural"underground"ofbebopjazz,druguse,"polymorphousperverse"sexuality,andnon-Westernreligions.

   Theterm”Beat”wasreportedlycoinedbyJackKerouac（1922-1969,American）inthelate1940’s.Ashesaid“Ah,thisisnothingbutabeatgeneration”fromaspecificconversationbetweenHolmes（1926-1988,American）andhim,thisgreatmovementinAmericanhistorycameintobeing.ThenHolmes’scelebratedarticleinlate1952intheNewYorkTimesMagazinecarriedtheheadlinetitle“ThisistheBeatGeneration”,thatcaughtthepubliceye.ButitbecamemorecommonataboutthetimethatwriterslikeAllenGinsberg（1926-1997,American）andLawrenceFerlinghetti（1919,American）werebeginningtogetnoticed.ItwasquicklybecomingaslangterminAmericaafterWorldWar11,meaning“exhausted”or“beatdown”andprovidedthisgenerationwithadefinitivelabelfortheirpersonalandsocialpositionsandperspectives.

partⅡ.“TheBeats”beatingthesociety

2.1,thelivingsocialenvironment

   It’sapostwargeneration,afterWorldWarII,lifeinAmericawasdullandstatic.Dadwentofftowork,mommindedthehouseanditseemedlikeeveryonewouldhaveajob,securityandhappiness.Visionariesatthetime,however,sawthatthisidyllicprosperitywasartificialandtemporary;theywantedlifenow,notatage65.Theywentontheroad,hungoutinjazzbars,drankandreadpoetryandhowledatthemoon.TheycreatedanantithesiscalledtheBeatGeneration.The60sbroughtsuchculturalchangesasexpandedconsciousness,rock&roll,civilrightsandstrengtheneddemocracy.Sothewholesocietyfellintoastateofdepresses,especiallytheyouthwhoweregivenup,behavedwithnakedintuition,wentallout,advancedbravely.

2.2,thebehaviorof“TheBeats”

2.2.1,Insociety

   Amanisbeatwheneverhegoesforbrokeandwagersthesumofhisresourcesonasinglenumber;andtheyounggenerationhasdonethatcontinuallyfromearlyyouth.'Whydon'tpeopleleaveusalone?

'Itwasthefaceofabeatgeneration,alsoaspiritualcrisis,theirmisery,protest,explorationanddegradation…Itsmembershaveaninstinctiveindividuality,needingnobohemianismorimposedeccentricitytoexpressit.Broughtupduringthecollectivebadcircumstancesofadrearydepression,weanedduringthecollectiveuprootingofaglobalwar,theydistrustcollectivity.Buttheyhaveneverbeenabletokeeptheworldoutoftheirdreams.Thefanciesoftheirchildhoodinhabitedthehalf-lightofMunich,theNazi-Sovietpact,andtheeventualblackout.

2.2.2,Inthefieldofliterature

   ThecentralBeatwriters--WilliamBurroughs,AllenGinsberg,andJackKerouacbecamenationallyfamousthankstoAllenGinsberg'sHowlandOtherPoems（1956）andtheobscenitytrialthatfolloweditspublication,thenKerouac’sOnTheRoad,Burrough’s（1914-1997,American）NakedLunchallbecametherepresentativeworkoftheBeatGeneration.Theywrotejustastheybehaved,livinginNewYorkandSanFrancisco.Besidestheirenthusiasmforjazzanddrugs,thegrouparoundBurroughs,Ginsberg,andKerouacsharedaninterestinliteraryexperimentation.Theirworkstressedspontaneousanduncensoredwriting,oftenbasedontheirownexperiencesamongsmall-timecriminalsanddrifters.TheyinfluencedawholegenerationofAmericanyouthbytheircrazylivingstyle.   

Inart,theopeningofthesymposium'sBeatfilmfestivalfeaturesaneerie,disorienting,black-and-whitefilmbyJonasMekas,GunsoftheTrees,whichtellsafragmentedtaleofdisaffectedyouthinableakColdWarworld.MekasarrivedintheUnitedStatesfromEasternEuropeinthe50s,virtuallypenniless.Hesleptonfloorsandatewhenhecouldashescrapedtogethertheresourcestomakehismovie.MekasremarksthattheBeatsneverknewtheywereamovement,theyjustknewtheyhadalotoffriendswhowereartists.Theysharedtheirworkandtheexcitementoftheirflourishingcreativity.

partⅢ.    “TheBeats”butnotdown

3.1,thedifferencebetween“theBeatgeneration”and“theLostGeneration”

   Itisalreadybeingcomparedtothatotherpostwargeneration,whichdubbeditself'lost'.TheRoaringTwenties,andthegenerationthatmadethemroar,aregoingthroughasentimentalrevival,andthecomparisonisvaluable.TheLostGenerationwasdiscoveredinaroadster,laughinghystericallybecausenothingmeantanythinganymore.Everyactinitsdramaoflostnesswasatragicorironicthirdact,andT.S.Eliot'sTheWasteLandwasmorethanthedead-endstatementofaperceptivepoet.Thepervadingatmosphereofthatpoemwasanalmostobjectlesssenseofloss,throughwhichthereaderfeltimmediatelythatthecohesionofthingshaddisappeared.Itwas,foranentiregeneration,animagewhichexpressed,withdreadfulaccuracy,itsownspiritualcondition."

   Butthewildboysoftodayarenotlost.Theyweren’treluctanttothevaluelessthingsofthemainstreamofmorality,theywereaddictedinseeingpleasureandmakingmerry,theyexperiencedsortsofdegeneratelifewithcuriositybutnodestroy.Theonlythingthatcouldmakethembelievewasthefirst-handexperienceandthenthestimulatedthought,theirmindsweredistillatedinthefreebody,broughtpeoplethecouragefacingreality.Furthermore,therepeatedinventoryofshatteredideals,andthelamentsaboutthemudinmoralcurrents,whichsoobsessedtheLostGeneration,doesnotconcernyoungpeopletoday.

Onlythemostbitteramongthemwouldcalltheirrealityanightmareandprotestthattheyhaveindeedlostsomething,thefuture.Foreversincetheywereoldenoughtoimagineone,thathasbeeninjeopardyanyway.Theabsenceofpersonalandsocialvaluesistothem,notarevelationshakingthegroundbeneaththem,butaproblemdemandingaday-to-daysolution.Toliveseemstothemmuchmorecrucialthanwhy.UnliketheLostGeneration,whichwasoccupiedwiththelossoffaith,theBeatGenerationisbecomingmoreandmoreoccupiedwiththeneedforit. 

3.2,TheBeatsandreligion

   Amongthosebeats,themostvulgarorthevoidest,allconcernaboutthefaith.Livinginsuchdepressedsociety,peoplecan’tkeeptheircharacter,orspeakforthemselves,butthebeatswereexploringperseveringlyandpainfully.It’samiserablecourse,mostofthemfallintoperplexity,contradictionanddisappointed,soatthistimeBuddhismbegintospreadamongthem,it'sanattitudeoflivingwithoutanydesire,aphilosophyofseizingthehourandmakingmerryintime,allthatjustaccordwiththedeclarationofthegeneration“rebelwithoutgoal,personswhoagitatewithoutslogan,revolutionarywithoutguidingprinciple”.

   ThisBeatGenerationisareligiousgeneration.

3.3,MyviewontheBeatGeneration

   Perhapsmanypeoplehavenotnoticedthat,behindtheexcessontheonehand,andtheconformityontheother,liesthatwait-and-seedetachmentthatresultsfromhavingtofallbackforsupportmoreonone'scapacityforhumanenduran