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Contemporary American Literature

Course 5_3
Spring Semester 2010
Prof.dr. Rodica Miai!a
Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
"orn in #e$ar%& #e$ 'ersey.
(ater ) Louis *ins+erg ) scoo! teacer& poet
Moter ) #aomi ) Communist ) e!egiac poem Kaddish ,1-.1/
Scoo! in Paterson ) 0i!!iam Car!os 0i!!iams a friend ,1#o ideas +ut in tings2/
Co!um+ia ".A. 1-345 auditory a!!ucination ,"!a%e/
1-53 ) mo6ed to San (rancisco
A !eader of te "eat Mo6ement and te San (rancisco Renaissance.
7n 1-53 married Peter 8r!o6s%y9
1-:3 $it Adrienne Ric ) co5$inner of te #ationa! "oo% A$ard for Poetry.
7n 1;go Confession2 e says<
7 $ant to +e %no$n as te most +ri!!iant man in America ,=/
7 $ant to +e te spectac!e of Poesy triumpant o6er tric%ery of te $or!d=
Poet& guru& $or!d tra6e!er& propet& 6isionary of te (!o$er5Acid5Roc% *eneration
#otoriety as a sociocu!tura! enfant terri+!e 9 one of te most inf!uentia! post51-35 poets
Poetry
(irst ma>or poem Howl (1956) ? a mi!estone of te generation
;ntire $or% te stature of Lea6es of *rass ,as significant as te 0asted Land/. @e
defines it 1"eat5 gnostic57magist2
At once& intimate and propetic
i!arious and terrifying
profound!y re!igious and at times outrageous
@is poetry ) encompasses a myriad of eAperiences ,$o!e uman !ife/
2
5 !i%e 0itman incredi+!e po$er
propetic& "a!%e& 0itman& te "i+!e
0itman a mode! and mentor in ) tecniBue
5 scope
5 intent
+ut ) 0itmanCs poems ? efty songs
5 *ins+ergCs poems ? !amentations
@is impact resu!ts from is propetic stance as a man and as a poet sustained +y te
6ita! spirit of "!a%e and te propets of te 8!d Destament a modern day 7saia
te pu+!ic conscience of te nation
e !aments te e6i! uman%ind
e +e!ief in te o!iness of !ife 6ision of a ne$
'erusa!em
Co!!ected Poems< 1-3:51-40 ,@arper and Ro$& 1-43/
ApproAimate!y 14 6o!umes +efore 1-43
De tradition of American poetry as 6oice dependent ,0itman& 0.C.0i!!iams/ rater
tan a teAt for reading
Dradition< "!a%e and 0itman ,$at tey a6e in common/
) propet poet
5 disregard for distinction +et$een poetry and re!igion
5 ec!ectism
His poetry:
5 distrust for a+stractions and te cere+ra!
5 in6ites a comp!ete emotiona! and pysica! participation +y te audience
1-5. @o$! ) te +eginning of cange ) dangerous eAamp!e
5 re6o!utionary cange
,ne$ areas of eAperience ne$ cu!tura! situations/
A dar% 6ision of of te ;iseno$er years
A!ternati6e to te tigt!y organiEed& $e!! $ritten poetry under te inf!uence of #e$
Criticism
3
;motiona!!y eAp!osi6e& se!f5preoccupied& metrica!!y eApansi6e.
7t created an audience for ) Ro+ert Lo$e!!Cs Life Studies
5 #orman Mai!erCs Ad6ertisments for Myse!f
5 #orman 8C"ro$n< Life against Feat
Li+erating inf!uences < 'ac% Gerouac< 5 te uncorrected first draft
5 poetry an eAtension of is o$n persona! re!ationsips
,no distinction +et$een $at you te!! your friends and $at you te!! your Muse/
*ins+erg descri+ed imse!f as a 1"uddist 'e$ $it attacments to Grisna& Si6a& A!!a&
Coyote and te sacred @eart2 ) a spiritua! ad6enturer.
@e tra6e!!ed in te ;ast. Hi6id presence in American Life
,p. 1120/< is poems are fragments of a great confesion.