litdesire2019b

1.      What common qualities do the beats share, why were they so named? The beat generation, or beat movement, was a social and literary movement in America, which was prominent throughout the 1950’s. The beat generation was associated with bohemian artist communities, which had three major locations throughout the US, including San Francisco’s North Beach, Venice Beach in Los Angeles, and Greenwich Village in New York City. The term ‘beat’ came from Jack Kerouac, who is none to be the pioneer of the beat movement. ‘Beat’ at first meant weary, but also adopted a connection to musicality and sonic interpretations, beat poetry becoming the early predecessor to rap music. The artists of the movement began calling themselves ‘beatniks’ as a way to separate themselves from the conservative conventions of society, and enjoyed a life filled with jazz, psychedelics, and freely expressed sexuality. In terms of how the beat poets were similar, there are many things whic...