I thought it was a fun read, a sort of beatnik adventure. I do not consider it a classic.
I thought it was a fun read, a sort of beatnik adventure. I do not consider it a classic.
LET THERE BE LIGHT
"Love follows knowledge." – St. Catherine of Siena
My literature blog: http://ashesfromburntroses.blogspot.com/
Me too, I think that in Dharma Bums Kerouac is at his best, a better all-round novel than On the Road.Originally Posted by mono
I was going to get the Dharma bums at the annual copenhagen book fair, but I was just starting On the Road, and actually decided against. I'll get a hold of it as soon as a I finish On the Road, at least now I'm feeling more encouraged, and thus hopefully more perceptive.
On the Road is a beatnik, hippy sort of classic. It's an anthem for everybody who's ever felt the passion of the wandering feet. Who's just wanted that adventure and freedom. For some people, life isn't about the progression of infancy-school-work-marriage-kids-death and the conventional patterns that are dictated by society. For some, it's just about the experiential value. I believe Kerouac is one of them.
I love On the Road.
Naked except for a cigarette, you let your mind drift and forget your disbelief. Feel the chill down your back and the flutter of wings through dandelion fields, and forget the pull of gravity in a night without stars.
I lack eloquence and commitment to my arguments. They are half baked, and I will begin passionately, and then abandon them.
Is it though? I definatly relate to this, and I love traveling, I don't really have a national identity, and I'm most comfortable 'on the road', any road, so to speak. But from what I've read so far, none of that is really coming accross. Back to the start of the thread, when my friend described it i was compltely excited, and just figured this would be the book for me.
However, being quite the traveller myself, I'm just not getting the vibe from this book.not yet anyway.
Meh... I guess you have to click with the writing style.
Naked except for a cigarette, you let your mind drift and forget your disbelief. Feel the chill down your back and the flutter of wings through dandelion fields, and forget the pull of gravity in a night without stars.
I lack eloquence and commitment to my arguments. They are half baked, and I will begin passionately, and then abandon them.
I guess... But I want to be cool, and love Jack!!
I do really like the cover though, and the texture of the paper, and the smell of the paper. I guess I can always have it as a trophy book
what kind of 'traveller' are you? i dont think kerouac was particularly interested in going sight seeing!Is it though? I definatly relate to this, and I love traveling, I don't really have a national identity, and I'm most comfortable 'on the road', any road, so to speak. But from what I've read so far, none of that is really coming accross. Back to the start of the thread, when my friend described it i was compltely excited, and just figured this would be the book for me.
However, being quite the traveller myself, I'm just not getting the vibe from this book.
kerouac captured (as i have said on another thread somewhere) that sense of disillusionment and the will to resist the drudgery of everyday life by seeking spiritual fulfillment etc (and getting massively off your tits!).. if you question conformity and yearn for something more in life than what society expects of you, then kerouac makes perfect sense..
that will obviously never convince those vanguards of the dead white male's literary canon that kerouac is a great writer, but it is exactly the reason why he and on the road enjoys such cult status
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
Yes, good comments, I think this is a large aspect of why he appeals to so many.
Okay, that was uncalled for. I've definantly travelled Kerouac style, with no money on the pocket, and just hoping that someone in northern romania would invite me in for a meal. I do love the aimless travelling, and would gladly spend the rest of my life doing so. This is why I stated that I really thought I'd love this book. There's no need for the personal attack, I'm off my tits already.
Back to my point though, it's not the plot that bothers me at all, and I did conclude that the reason I probably fell short regarding the form of writing had to do with the massive work load from studies. I'm going to restart it.
I have no idea what you mean here, nor do I find it relevant, nor intelligent, nor even worthy of reading, let alone related to anything written by Jack Keruoac. This forum does not allow personal attacks, and ***umptions themselves seem rude of what kind of 'traveller' you would place a label upon a stranger on an Internet forum, whose only recognition you give in a slang reference to breasts . . . what the fornication under consent of king?
Anyway, getting back on topic, and writing with good grammar, capitalizing the beginnings of sentences, and using correct punctuation, as I would expect every self-proclaimed freelance journalist to know (but intelligence can get affected by the frequent head trauma of football), Jack Keruoac seemed well renowned for his traveling. That he visited the tourist sites, I have no doubt he 'stopped by,' as in The Dharma Bums, he mentions a few tourist sites in my home city of Portland, Oregon (USA).
Most importantly, whether he contributed to tourism or not, as he receives some worthy mentions in helping the building of a Buddhist school established by his friend, Allen Ginsberg, no one can deny Keruoac's free-spiritedness. He often traveled by hitch-hiking, train, and by foot, frequently slept on the ground, and had no fear of exploring great lands with minimal funds.
ah you totally misunderstood me... so apologies if you thought it was a personal attack? i was merely asking what kind of 'traveller' you are? as im not sure kerouac was a 'traveller' in the conventional sense
and re. slang reference to breasts?? i was talking about kerouac's propensity for indulgence of the narcotic kind (ie. getting off one's tits/getting high)
once again, sorry if that offended you (perhaps i should have asked 'what kind of travel do you enjoy?')... and especially i offer my sincere non-apologies to mono for such wanton misuse of grammar and punctuation..
what i said was very much on-topic... the thread was about not 'getting' what the big deal is with kerouac, i was merely offering my views that kerouac captured that sense of disillusionment with everyday life and the will to resist it, and if you have ever yearned for something more, then kerouac appeals to those yearnings.. im not sure how that bit could be misconstrued as a personal attack (or unrelated to anything kerouac had written), i was trying to point out why he has such popular appeal.. he wasnt a 'tourist' in the conventional/current sense was my point...
how is this not a personal attack, out of interest?
i dont think there can be any misunderstanding here!
When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro
I apologize, Hank Stamper, for the misunderstanding - definitely a fault on my part, and I obviously demonstrated my lack of knowledge in slang. Hopefully, we will not let our off-topic comments, nor my insolence, ruin this thread or literary discussion.
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Indeed, Kerouac seemed very known for his . . . influence from substances, whether alcohol or illegal drugs in his time. He spent a lot of time with Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs, who . . . if anyone has read Ginsberg's poetry or Burroughs' Naked Lunch, enough said.Kerouac, himself, even died at an early age from the health complications of alcoholism, liver cirrhosis and esophageal varices.
That many writers' influences came from substance abuse I think remarkable, and a lot of scientists even researched the influence of certain substances on creativity, like Dr. Timothy Leary, a good friend of some Beat poets.
What would have come of Jack Kerouac's literature without drugs? Since he consumed such by choice, I do not even want to imagine; if those substances contributed to his creativity, I suppose that further proves that the artist sometimes suffers for the sake of art.
Thank you for teh clarification Hank Stamper. When reading your first post it just struck me as quite agressive and provocative in it's tone, and therefore my reaction. And thank you for your views on Kerouac.
Reading on the road atm.
It is interesting, wouldn't say it was good though.
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