Comparing the Lost Generation and the Beat Generation

The Lost Generation

Important Figures

Gertrude Stein

F. Scott Fitzgerald

T.S. Eliot

Ezra Pound

Themes

The Lost Generation is so named because of the movement of its writers from America to Europe. They were disillusioned with the experience of war, having lived through it all. They were also discontent with the status of society in the 1920s. This is exemplified in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, in which the American Dream is critiqued and a negative portrait is painted of the wealthy class of Americans. These writers also tended to reject more traditional styles and ideas and gravitated towards more modern forms.

The Beat Generation

Important Figures

Allen Ginsberg

William S. Burroughs

Jack Kerouac

Themes

The Beat Generation was a group that was originally founded by Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. Active during the 1950s, its writers cast off the bounds of what they perceived to be an overly restrictive, materialistic society. Their works were often considered to be vulgar, sexually graphic, and violently provocative. Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" and Kerouac's On the Road are two foremost examples of Beat Literature. Both were unique, unprecedented works that utilized abstract imagery and dealt with topics that many considered to be unfit to discuss.

Making Comparisons

A key principle that is seen in both the Lost Generation and the Beat Generation is the writer's criticism of society. In the Lost Generation, the rich upper class were the targets, while the Beat Generation looked to shake up the prevalent attitudes about social freedoms. 

One difference that I could note was the popular response to each generation's writings. The Lost Generation generally was received better than the Beat Generation, possibly because they moved away from America and were not a part of American society at the time. The Beat Generation was heavily criticized, especially by the older, more traditional groups of people. 

What similarities or differences do you see between the Lost Generation and the Beat Generation? Which group's writings are your favorite?

Sources:

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/educator/modules/teachingthetwenties/theme_viewer.php?theme=big&section=war&subsect=3

American Pageant Textbook