Introduction

Greetings, and welcome to my weblog inspired by the generation of writers and poets known as the Beats, or the Beatniks. I am a student at Rowan University in Glassboro, NJ and one of my classes this semester is Writing, Research, and Technology. One of the key assignments we have been given is the development of a semester long research topic in which we are to create a weblog to track and share our research development.

As a Writing Arts major, I was indeed inspired by a writer who really turned me back on to reading (and writing) after an extended post-graduation recess. It was the first time since childhood that I began to read for enjoyment rather than for assignment and it hooked me back in. Hunter S. Thompson provided an eccentric collection of accounts in his quest to find out what happened to the American Dream and who was responsible for killing it. He was a self-proclaimed doctor of journalism and he created what would later be coined “Gonzo Journalism.” His works have increasingly become common grounds of study for various collegiate majors ranging from journalism to political science. While Hunter Thompson was not one of the dubbed “Beats,” he was heavily influenced by their style and he carried their torch throughout his career.

For those who might be new to the identification of those that make up the Beat Generation, it is comprised of a group of American writers whose prominence reigned from the late 1940s throughout the 1950s. Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsburg, William S. Burroughs, and Lucien Carr all met at Columbia University and established an inner-circle that was known to test the ropes of conformity. Eventually, through mutual relationships, Neal Cassady and Gregory Corso would join the workings of these young, up and coming writers and philosophers. Their bohemian lifestyles and controversial practices brought them to the forefront of the American literary limelight, helping to fuel the fire of this budding counter-culture movement and becoming an influential force in American literature.