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JackKerouacAbouttheauthor,JackKerouacEarlyLife•Hedidn'tstarttolearnEnglishuntilhewassixbecauseathome,heandhisfamilyspokeQuebecFrench.•AtanearlyagehewastraumatizedbythedeathofhiselderbrotherGérard,thiseventlaterpromptedhimtowritethebookVisionsofGerard.Education•Hisathleticabilitiesledhimtobecomeastaronhislocalfootballteam.HelaterearnedfootballscholarshipstoBostonCollegeandColumbiaUniversity.•HewenttoColumbiaUniversityafterspendingthescholarship'srequiredyearatHoraceMannSchool.•HebrokealegplayingfootballduringhisfreshmanyearatColumbia.Thisinjurymadeitdifficulttofulfillhisscholarshipobligations.•HecouldnotcontinueatColumbiawithoutthescholarship,sohewenttolivewithapreviousgirlfriendEdieParkerinNewYork.MilitaryLife•HejoinedtheMerchantnavyin1942andin1943joinedtheUnitedStatesNavy.HewasdischargedduringWorldWarIIonpsychiatricgroundsbecausehewasofindifferentdisposition.•Inbetweenhisseavoyages,hestayedinNewYorkCitywithfriendsfromFordhamUniversityinTheBronx.•AfterhewasdischargedfromtheU.S.Navyin1943.HelivedwithhisparentsintheOzoneParkneighborhoodinNewYorkCity.Kerouac’sdeath,causedbycirrhosisoftheliver(resultingfromexcessivedrinking)wasunanticipated.Writing•Hewroteconstantlybutcouldnotfindapublisherforhisnovelforsixyears.•UsingpreviousdraftstitledTheBeatGenerationandGoneOnTheRoad,hewrotewhatisnowknownasOntheRoadinApril,1951.•Ittookhim3weekstocompletetheentirebook.•PublishersrejectedthebookbecauseofitsexperimentalwritingstyleandsympathetictonetowardsminoritiesandmarginalizedsocialgroupsoftheUnitedStatesinthe1950s.•In1957,VikingPresspurchasedthenovel,hadtomakemajorrevisions.KerouacStyleinOntheRoadRhythm•Alsofamousforajazz-stylerhythminwriting,usingdashestoreplacebreathsofaconversation.•“Ah,that’sit-that’sit-Dostioffski.”•“SinceDenver,Sal,alotofthings-ohthethings-I’vethoughtandthought.”Qualities•Heisveryrestlessandisalwaysonthemove.•Healwayshastohavesomethingnewandexiting.•Hegetsboardeasily,andtownsthathethoughtwouldbefunquicklyloosesthere“kick”sohewantstomoveonalot.EarlyLife•BornonMarch12,1922withthenameJean-LouisLebrisdeKerouac,inLowell,Massachusetts.•HisfamilywasFrench-CanadianandhisparentswereLeo-AlcideKerouacandGabrielle-AngeLévesque,theywerenativesoftheprovinceofQuebecinCanada.Hemingway/FitzgeraldDescription•Aswithsentenceform,Kerouacvarieshisdescriptionsofpeople,dependingontheircommongroundtoSal.•Dean-“AyoungGeneAutry…sideburnedheroofthesnowywest…•Marylou-“Hairlikeaseaofgoldentresses…smokybluecountryeyes…longbodiedemaciatedModiglianisurrealistwoman”•DeanisaradicalelementtoSal,butamagnetinthesamewayNickisattractedtoGatsby•MarylouisDean’ssometimegirlfriend,andrepresentstakingapieceoftheunknownandtryingtomakeitpartofyourself,asSalhasafleetingromancewithMarylouTheBeatGeneration•ThephraseBeatGenerationwasinventedbyJackKerouacin1948.•The‘beatness’Kerouacwasdescribingwerenotunintelligentorundisciplinedmen.Theywere‘beat’becausetheydidn'tbelieveinstraightjobsandhadtostruggletosurviveontheirown.•Theterm'beat'hasasecondmeaning:'beatific'orsacredandholy.BeingaCatholic,Kerouacexplainedthatbydescribinghisgenerationas‘beat’hewastryingtoemphasizethesecretholinessofthedowntrodden(Dean).•ThisisgenerallythemostcentralthemeinKerouac'swork.•While'Beat'describedhitchhikers,thehomelessandexhaustedproletarians,theterm'Hip'camefrom'Hipster,'whichreferredtothefancy-dressing,drugdealersandalcoholicsex-fiendcharactersthathungaroundTimesSquareatnightlooking‘hip’.•The‘hipsters’werethebeatsinthecity,andthe‘beatniks’werehobosinthecountry.‘Hipsters’turnedinto‘Hippies’,while‘Beats’turnedinto‘Beatniks’.ThelongesthighwayintheUSofA!AllenGinsberg–Kerouac’scontemporaryauthorandfriend(botheroticandagamous)JackKerouac’sbrother,Gerard,diedatanearlyageandwhenKerouacwasfour.HewroteanovelabouthisshortchildhoodspentwithhisbrothercalledVisionsofGerard.Afterhisdeath,Kerouaclivedinhisdeceasedbrother’sshadow.