The Beat Generation.doc

The Beat GenerationThe Beat Generation was a group of American post-World War II writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired. Central elements of Beat culture included experimentation with drugs, alternative forms of sexuality, an interest in Eastern religion, a rejection of materialism, and the idealizing of exuberant, unexpurgated means of expression and being.Allen Ginsbergs Howl (1956), William S. Burroughss Naked Lunch (1959) and Jack Kerouacs On the Road (1957) are among the best known examples of Beat literature. Both Howl and Naked Lunch were the focus of obscenity trials that ultimately helped to liberalize publishing in the United States. The members of the Beat Generation developed a reputation as new bohemian hedonists, who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity.The original Beat Generation writers met in New York. Later, in the mid-1950s, the central figures (with the exception of Burroughs) ended up together in San Francisco where they met and became friends with figures associated with the San Francisco Renaissance.In the 1960s, elements of the expanding Beat movement were incorporated into the Hippie counterculture.垮掉的一代或称疲惫的一代（Beat Generation）是第二次世界大战之后出现于美国的一群松散结合在一起的年轻诗人和作家的集合体。这一名称最早是由作家杰克克鲁亚克于1948年前后提出的。在英语中，形容词“beat”一词有“疲惫”或“潦倒”之意，而杰克克鲁亚克赋予其新的含义“欢腾”或“幸福”，和音乐中“节拍”的概念联结在一起。之所以将这样一小群潦倒的作家、学生、骗徒以及吸毒者当作“一代”，是因为这个人群对二战之后美国后现代主义文化的形成具有举足轻重的作用。在西方文学领域，“垮掉的一代”被视为后现代主义文学的一个重要分支，也是美国文学历史上的重要流派之一。“垮掉的一代”的成员们大多是玩世不恭的浪荡公子，他们笃信自由主义理念。他们的文学创作理念往往是自发的，有时甚至非常混乱。“垮掉的一代”的作家们创作的作品通常广受争议，原因是这些作品通常不遵守传统创作的常规，结构和形式上也往往杂乱无章，语言粗糙甚至粗鄙。“垮掉的一代”对后世的西方文化产生了深远的影响，被文化研究学者们看作是第一支真正意义上的后现代“亚文化”。“垮掉的一代”的重要文学作品包括杰克克鲁亚克（1922年1969年）的在路上Jack Kerouacs On the Road (1957)、艾伦金斯堡（1926年1997年）的嚎叫Allen Ginsbergs Howl (1956)和威廉博罗斯（1914年1997年）的裸体午餐William S. Burroughss Naked Lunch (1959)等。后两部作品由于内容“猥亵”而引起法庭的注意，但也为此类文学作品在美国出版的合法化进程做出了贡献。Origin of nameJack Kerouac introduced the phrase Beat Generation in 1948 to characterize a perceived underground, anti-conformist youth movement in New York. The name arose in a conversation with writer John Clellon Holmes. The adjective beat could colloquially mean tired or beaten down,45 but Kerouac expanded the meaning to include the connotations upbeat, beatific, and the musical association of being on the beat”.名字的起源杰克凯鲁亚克介绍，“垮掉的一代”1948塑造了一个被视为地下活动者的人，anti-conformist青年运动在纽约。名字出现在谈话clellon作家约翰福尔摩斯。形容词“击败”一般说“累”或“打”，但是凯鲁亚克扩大了意义，包括内涵“乐观，“幸福”，“垮掉的一代”的音乐协会。HippiesMain article: hippieDuring the 1950s, aspects of the Beat movement metamorphosed into the counterculture of the 1960s, accompanied by a shift in terminology from beatnik to hippie.39 Many of the original Beats remained active participants, notably Allen Ginsberg, who became a fixture of the anti-war movement. Notably, however, Jack Kerouac broke with Ginsberg and criticized the 1960s politically radical protest movements as an excuse to be spiteful.40There were stylistic differences between beatniks and hippies somber colors, dark sunglasses, and goatees gave way to colorful psychedelic clothing and long hair. The beats were known for playing it cool (keeping a low profile),41 but the hippies became known for being cool (displaying their individuality).citation neededBeyond style, there were changes in substance: The Beats tended to be essentially apolitical, but the hippies became actively engaged with the civil rights movement and the anti-war movement.42向“嬉皮士”时代转变在60年代，“垮掉的一代”作为一个文化分支开始逐渐发生变化。活跃于4050年代的“披头族”们开始被更加活跃的60年代的反主流文化群体所替代，这一族群的名称也被改为“嬉皮士”。当然这种转变是次第完成的。在60年代，很多“垮掉派”文人仍然非常活跃，比如艾伦金斯堡，他在反越战运动中发挥了重要作用。然而和他旗鼓相当的另一“垮掉派”作家杰克克鲁亚克却逐渐淡出这一运动。他在60年代和金斯堡决裂，并将60年代的抵抗贬斥为“恶毒的新托词”。“垮掉派的一代”对60年代的抵抗思潮产生了非常巨大的影响。例如，摇滚明星鲍勃迪伦和艾伦金斯堡关系就非常密切。依照艾德桑德斯的说法，从“披头族”到“嬉皮士”的最终转变的标志是1967年旧金山金门公园的抵抗运动。在这场运动中，艾伦金斯堡、盖瑞施奈德和迈克尔麦克鲁尔高唱圣歌，带领游行的人群。Influences on Western cultureA section devoted to the beat generation at a bookstore in Stockholm, SwedenWhile many authors claim to be directly influenced by the Beats, the Beat Generation phenomenon itself has had a pervasive influence on Western culture more broadly.citation neededIn 1982, Ginsberg published a summary of the essential effects of the Beat Generation:33 Spiritual liberation, sexual revolution or liberation, i.e., gay liberation, somewhat catalyzing womens liberation, black liberation, Gray Panther activism. Liberation of the world from censorship. Demystification and/or decriminalization of cannabis and other drugs. The evolution of rhythm and blues into rock and roll as a high art form, as evidenced by the Beatles, Bob Dylan, and other popular musicians influenced in the later fifties and sixties by Beat generation poets and writers works. The spread of ecological consciousness, emphasized early on by Gary Snyder and Michael McClure, the notion of a Fresh Planet. Opposition to the military-industrial machine civilization, as emphasized in writings of Burroughs, Huncke, Ginsberg, and Kerouac. Attention to what Kerouac called (after Spengler) a second religiousness developing within an advanced civilization. Return to an appreciation of idiosyncrasy as against state regimentation. Respect for land and indigenous peoples and creatures, as proclaimed by Kerouac in his slogan from On the Road: The Earth is an Indian thing.对西方文化的影响艾伦金斯堡（左）和伙伴Peter Orlovsky（右）于法兰克福国际机场的合照，摄于1978年。尽管“垮掉的一派”基本上是一个纯粹的文学流派，但这一流派对整个西方文化的影响却是强大而深远，其影响力不仅仅体现在几个作家或作品上。从很多角度上看，“垮掉的一代”都可被视为美国文化史上的第一支“亚文化”。“垮掉派”文人是二战