The Beat Generation and its influence in the United States

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady were the core members of the Beat Generation, a group whose literary work and revolutionary ideas ignited an explosion that would develop into a full-fledged literary, artistic, and cultural movement. This study has aimed to answer the following research questions: (1) What were the various definitions of the term beat? (2) Who were the original members of this generation, and which were the individual characteristics of their writing? (3) What role did the arts play in this movement? and (4) What was the Generation's effect on American culture? The study has made ample use of primary and secondary sources pertaining to the movement as a whole, to its individual members and their work, and its effect on American culture has been elucidated. Results are presented in five chapters whereby each research question is answered, followed by conclusions and recommendations.