Eric's OTR post that I deleted. oooops

3. In 1952 (when people still wrote letters to each other), Allen Ginsberg penned these words to Kerouac about the 3. In 1952 (when people still wrote letters to each other), Allen Ginsberg penned these words to Kerouac about the manuscript of On the Road: "I don't see how it will ever be published, it's so personal, it's so full of sex language, so full of our local mythological references, I don't know if it would make sense to any publisher." What is your reaction to this?

I believe that Ginsberg's negative reaction to Jack Kerouac's On the Road, if primarily a function of the time in which he finished writing the book. From what I have studied about the 50s', many people, especially the common person, might not have felt comfortable with this open-minded and somewhat confrontational style of writing. It is also important to consider that Ginsberg said "I don't see how it will ever be published," not "I don't like the style of the writing.
In regards to Ginsberg's accusations that the novel is full of "sex language," I disagree. Even for this time I think the amount of sexual language found in this book does not warrant such a claim. Kerouac only briefly discusses this topic a couple time throughout his entire novel, and does not use any explicit phrases or words.
However, I do understand Ginsberg's claims that the book may be "too personal."The tone, style and language of this book is almost biographical, as Sal's journey could be easily replicable if one had the wish. Kerouac gives very intimate details about what Sal is doing and feeling. I can understand that Ginsberg might find it hard for the common reader to relate to this book, especially at a time where people were less open-minded, then many people are today.
Even if the book was full of "sex language" it seems to me that this and its intimate writing style might actually help the books sales and popularity. I feel that people always want to compare their lives with others. This is part of the reason why celebrity news today is extremely popular and widespread.
Posted by Eric at 2:54 PM 1 comments