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The Dharma Bums

Questions About The Dharma Bums

by Jack Kerouac

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Answered Questions (2)

What is the Genre?
Jill In part, beat literature is an attempt to remove all filters and write as thoughts come to us. It was indeed fueled by alcohol, pot, coffee benzadrine…mǰIn part, beat literature is an attempt to remove all filters and write as thoughts come to us. It was indeed fueled by alcohol, pot, coffee benzadrine. But also by Jack's (according to Allen, "unspeakable enthusiasm". If you read Big Sur, you'll get a better sense of Jack's love of words for their music. There were many (at the time) strict rules in writing and Jack pretty much violated them all. As did Ginsberg, and Burroughs, Amiri Baraka and Gary Snyder.(less)
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Should I read 'On the Road' before reading this?
Andrew Robinson On the Road provides really interesting contrast to Dharma Bums. Some elements of Kerouac's journey reemerge, and it's interesting to compare the more…mǰOn the Road provides really interesting contrast to Dharma Bums. Some elements of Kerouac's journey reemerge, and it's interesting to compare the more unrestrained boozing of On the Road with the more spiritual journey Ray undertakes in Dharma Bums. I'd recommend reading On the Road first.(less)
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