Sociohistorical Context and Revolt in the Beat Generation
Abstract
This essay analyzes the Beat Generation’s revolt against the moral vacuity derived from the affluent economy of the United States during the 1950s, disclosing other nightmarish social occurrences such as the Great Fear, the Cold War and racial issues. In this context, the Beats’ revolt definitely focused on individuality whereas the use of spontaneous language highlighted their direct and intense experience. Likewise, their writing and lifestyle argued for the old Transcendentalist utopia: the unity of everyone and everything.
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