How to Study the Beat Writers

The beat writers are a small quirky bunch that impacted the world profoundly. Today's "Generation X" carries a multitude of cultural values, clothes and icons. The "Beat Generation" is no different. The best chronicles of this time period are told through the eyes and pens of Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsburg. There are many ways to study the beat writers, as explained in the following steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Understand the time period. America and the world were in a tumultuous period during the time the "beat writers" were born. Do some historical research before you read. There are not many people living today who could tell you what it meant to be in the beat world.
2. Keep an open mind. The lives that the beat writers were living are not considered now to be a great quality of life. Some people dismiss their writings altogether because of their living arrangements, lifestyles and hobo-like existence. You have to put your own biases aside.
3. Understand that every line is not always important. In some literature you need to be able to pick apart every line and word to obtain the full meaning the author is conveying. Though there are many detailed and poetic phrases used by the beat writers, the larger overall picture is a profound and great place to start.
4. Catalysts for the writers were drugs, New York City and a new vision. These writers were socially aware and repulsed by what they saw. Much of their writings comment on their surroundings and what they agreed and, more often, disagreed with.
5. Join their coffee talk. Stepping into something written by a beat writer is like stepping into a conversation at a coffee shop. Their candid, open banter is more conversational than most writers today.