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kerouac's worst work. Only redeeming part is when they're in New Orleans and visit Burroughs (Bull Lee). Read Desolation Angels instead. Thank me later.
is William Burroughs better in your opinion
Not him but Burroughs is way better. Give Junky a shot
On the Road is over hyped
nta, but no, unless you have a high tolerance for twisted gay smut. For kerouac, I thought dharma bums was better than on the road.
I’ve only read Junkie but I much prefer Kerouac. Junkie is an interesting read if you want to learn about the drug subculture of the time but if you’re looking for actual literature On the Road is way more satisfying. Maybe Burrough’s other work is better but I haven’t felt compelled to try any more, I’ll put it that way.
I get curious about burroughs just because he seems to be a common reference in ccru stuff
Burroughs post-Junkie stuff is..interesting. I think it's worth checking out, but it's not for everyone. Naked Lunch is of course the most popular, it's very surrealist and very explicit. You'll either like it or you won't. Junkie is definitely his most straight forward book.
He has some interesting later stuff too, like the musical collaboration he did for his book the Western Lands. If you're a Sopranos fan you'll know.
gotcha, thanks anon
Yes, but his work is very weird and it's understandable why people hate him. Junky is the safest place to start, and upon being his most accessible is probably one of his best, too.
thank you
Pretentious lowlife scumbag on a road trip.
if you're young and never traveled you'll enjoy it. Definitely not his best. Hear good things about desolation angels. Dharma bums and big sur are excellent, might be great reading bums, angels and sur in that order.
Yeah Desolation Angels is defo a sequel to Dharma Bums. On the Road is one of my favourite books tho', however I first read it when I was about 18 so I would naturally think exposure to Kerouac is best done when in your late teens-early twenties, probably cause that's the most idealistic time of anyone's life, and the book is nothing if not idealistic.
Very boring crap.
One of the greatest most influential books of all time
A terrible book that influenced a generation of even worse ones. Not the cause of tedious, indulgent 20th century American novels, but a possible Patient Zero.
In fairness, the other Beats are much worse.
fun book, I liked it
a teenager babbling about how cool it is to hang out with your friends and do drugs.
Sounds based if you asked me.
If that's what you're after, yeah.
It's just not nearly as interesting or transgressive now than it was then. Everybody knows their own stoner friend who thinks he's discovered what it's all about for the first time. They don't have to get it parasocially from Kerouac.
Why do anons hate this book but love Pynchon when it's clear that Kerouac was a huge influence, and Pynchon even admitted that he considered On the Road as a contender for Great American Novel?
I like Kerouac a lot (OTR wasn’t bad but it’s my least favorite of his that I’ve read) but I think there is a Kerouac fan stereotype. Also keep in mind the large contingent of schoolmarm puritans on this board
I genuinely think the stereotype of the Kerouac fan faded away 30 years ago. I remember seeing a tiktok account of some kid reciting poetry while he wandered through fields with his motorcycle in the foreground, and he was the only person I've ever seen, in real life or online, who subscribed to the stereotype. I think he's mainly being read by people (Americans) entering literature, in the same way that Steinbeck, Twain, or Hemingway get read.
OTR really seems to speak to many people’s wanderlust and quest for something more. I’ve always thought it was kinda funny that Neal is idolized by many readers but Kerouac definitely had a negative portrayal of him towards the end. I’ve said a few times in the past that I think Kerouac is greatly misunderstood. He was a really spiritual person and constantly trying to reach a higher plane but he failed and it broke him. His youthful love of love and naïveté in the beginning compared to the more cynical attitude of his later writings is heartbreaking. He’s a tragic figure
You know what? I think we've had similar interactions on the board, because that sounds familiar. Godspeed
Probably. I try to stick up for Kerouac on this board every once in a while
I didn't really get the full picture about Neal until I read other books with him to be honest, namely The Electric Kool Aid Acid Test, when he's a bit older and hanging with the Pranksters. Seeing him from that perspective it really sinks in that he was just a lost soul. The neat thing about this era of the beats & hippies is that there's a lot of characters that pop up in the stories of multiple authors. It's like the hippy MCU lol, except they're real people.
Kerouac was lost too, but a little more self aware of it. but yeah I agree with your sentiment. Kerouac was a thoughtful, intelligent guy, but his life ended in tragedy, and should be seen more as a warning tale than a hero to be idolized. the hobo lifestyle he led is pretty much dead now anyway, but some people with wanderlust and a hole to fill still look up to him. I know cause I was one. but there's better ways to deal with it than follow his footsteps.
I will also say I liked the Dharma Buns better than OTR, but OTR is more accessible. I also have a soft spot for The Subterraneans, but maybe just because it reflects events in my own life. it's a very stream-of-consciousness book, more so than usual, and very raw and emotional.
>"ITS LIKE THE HIPPY MCU LOL, BUT THEYRE LIKE REAL PEOPLE DUDE!!!!"
this sounds so fricking cool man, i cant wait to buy an allen ginsberg funko pop!!!
Also to add to
There aren’t that many Pynchon fans anymore. He’s more of a shibboleth and a nod to culture of yesteryears. Gone are the days of triple digit replies in Pynchon threads with many multi paragraph effortposts. All those anons are gone. Fiction and poetry aren’t popular anymore
>There aren’t that many Pynchon fans anymore
This is a ridiculous take. He's everywhere on this board, and there are more than a few effort posters.
I haven’t seen anyone really break down the meaning or themes of Gravity’s Rainbow in a long time. Granted, I don’t come here too much anymore. Either way it’s definitely less good effortposting than it was in the past
No, I'm pretty sure they did a read through of GR less than 2 years ago.
I do, too. I guess I'll see you in the next thread
good book, just don't go base your life around it if you're impressionable. Kerouac is an interesting figure and a captivating author, but his lifestyle is not enviable.
Satori in Paris is criminally underrated.
don't just graze the surface
https://rumble.com/v2zn8qm-retro-degeneracy-resurgence.html
Why does nobody seem to have a problem with the fact that he was a pederast?
Because all great writers were, moron