American literature post-WWII

1. American Literature
After World War II
April 30th, 2012

2. Agenda
Brief WWII background
Social/political effects
The Beat Generation
 Introduction
 Writers (Videos)
 Legacy
Other postwar novels

3. World War II
 1939 – 1945
 Involved many world powers
 Caused by Europe’s instability
 German treaties with Italy & Japan
 Invasion of Poland
 Pearl Harbor (1941)
 45-60 million casualties
 United Nations
 USSR & US  Cold War

4. Social / Political Aftermath
 Life was dull and static
 Idyllic prosperity
 McCarthyism / Red Scare
 America = closed society
 Industrialization
 Atomic era (Cold War)
 Political uniformity
 Censorship

5. The Beat Generation“A w h o l e b u n c h o f p e o p l e o f a l l n a t i o n a l i t i e s w h o b e l i e v e d s o c i e t y s u c k e d ”
 Post WWII writers (1950’s)
 Rebellion against societal conservatism
 Embraced non-conformity
 Liberation of the spirit and mind
 Enlightenment (Eastern religions)
 Influences: Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman
 Existentialism/transcendentalism
 Spontaneous prose (Whitman’s free verse)
 Counterculture effect: ‘The Beatniks’

6. Writers
“ T h e f i r s t t h o u g h t i s t h e b e s t t h o u g h t ”
Jack Kerouac (1922 – 1969)
On the Road  2012 Movie
Allen Ginsberg (1926 – 1997)
Howl
William Burroughs (1914 – 1997)
Naked Lunch

7. The Beat Goes On…
 Set the tone for the 1960’s
 Music: The Beatles, Bob Dylan, etc.
 Art: Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock
 Liberation from censorship
 Spiritual, sexual liberation
 Respect for nature/people
 Demystification of drugs
 Impact on literature

8. Postwar Novels

9. The End

10. Works Cited
 http://is.muni.cz/th/65693/pedf_m/diploma_thesis_dorian_marsalek.
pdf
 http://www.sfu.ca/english/Gillies/Engl20701/amww2.htm
 http://www.nzherald.co.nz/opinion/news/article.cfm?c_id=466&obje
ctid=10801124
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_literature#Depression-
era_literature
 http://www.worldwariihistory.info/WWII/aftermath.html
 http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=censorship
 http://zul.lakesideschool.org/lswiki/index.php?title=Beat_Poetry
 http://www.altx.com/io/beatgeneration.html
 http://www.bluesforpeace.com/beat-generation2.htm
 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1315869/Germany-end-World-
War-One-reparations-92-years-59m-final-payment.html
 http://americanhistory.about.com/od/worldwarii/a/wwiioverview_4.htm