The Beat generation of the fifties and sixties was a unique, strictly American group of writers who started a distinct movement in the world of literature. What's so unique about the Beats begins simply with the fact that they define themselves as the Beat generation and tout their own literary style every chance they get, promoting each other's work, unapologetically and pretentiously . This is opposed to the normal sequence of events in literary chronology, as specific literary movements and styles are often recognized and defined retrospectively, often posthumously, rather than recognized by the author(s) involved. The original group of Beat writers were close friends with a mutual respect for each of their peers' writings, and writers like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs and others all shared common themes in their writing, themes that united them under a common interest, goal and above all; themes that defined these writers like Beats. The most popular works of the Beat generation are, for the most part, novels (Allen Ginsberg's Howl is an exceptionally popular work of poetry), and their popularity projects a specific image of what it means to be "Beat" to the general public : Kerouac's Jack On The Road follows a protagonist who embodies freedom and adventure, The Subterraneans displays interracial love and an affinity for jazz music, and William S. Burroughs' Naked Lunch glorifies drugs. Of course, there are many more common interests and shared feelings in these novels that unite all of these major writers within the Beat Generation, but I think poetry is much more effective in providing evidence if one would like to respond. the question of what exactly... middle of paper ......e The Beats are established as educated, conscious, rebellious, self-destructive and, above all, free. Works Cited Ginsberg, Allen. Howl and other poems. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1959. Ginsberg, Allen. Newspapers Mid-1950s: 1954-1958. Ed. Gordon Ball. HarperCollins, 1995. 0060167718. Ginsberg, Allen. "Notes written on the final recording of 'Howl'." Deliberate Prose: Selected Essays 1952-1995. Ed. Bill Morgan. NY: Harper Collins, 2000 “Howl”. Poetic criticism. Ed. David M. Galens. Flight. 47. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Information Resource Center. Internet. July 28, 2010. Merrill, Thomas F. “Howl and Other Poems.” Allen Ginsberg, revised edition. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1988. 50-69. Rep. in poetic criticism. Ed. David M. Galens. Flight. 47. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Information Resource Center. Internet. July 28 2010.