"The only thing we long for in our days, which makes us sigh, groan and suffer mild nausea of ​​all kinds, is the memory of a lost happiness which has probably been experienced in the womb and can only be reproduced (as much as we hate to admit it) in death (Kérouac, Jack. “On the Road.”). Kerouac, is a shining example of the overall vibe of the Beat Generation Jack Kerouac is one of the most influential writers of the Beat Generation, rivaled only by Allen Ginsberg and William S. Burrough. the Beat Generation exactly? What does it mean? Who of note was involved? When did it take place? The “Beat Generation” is a play on words that implies that the participants were beaten. The Beat Generation is essentially a collection of post-World War II authors who began to gain notoriety around the 1950s (Schwartz, Richard A). The Beat Generation can also be classified as a literary and political movement, beginning in the 1940s and popularizing the "beatnik" mentality (Schwartz, Richard A). Beatniks inhabited coffeehouses in the 1950s, performing alternative poetry and making numerous dissident statements (Schwartz, Richard A). The founders of the Beat Generation included Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg. Kerouac, Burroughs and Ginsberg, although three of the most notorious members of the movement, were by no means alone – some of the more esoteric members of the Beat Generation were Gregory Corso, who joined them in the early 1950s, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Kenneth. Rexroth (Schwartz, Richard A). These authors enthusiastically challenged and campaigned against the homogenization of American culture...... middle of paper ......vement. "Cold War Culture: Media and the Arts, 1945-1990. New York: Facts on File, Inc., 2000. American History Online. Facts On File, Inc. Web May 2, 2011. Vary, Adam B. "Beat Movement ", in Winkler, Allan M., Charlene Mires and Gary B. Nash, eds. Encyclopedia of American History: Postwar United States, 1946 to 1968, revised edition (Volume IX) New York: Facts On File, Inc., 2010. American History Online. "Jack Kerouac." LitFinder Contemporary Collection: Gale, 2007. LitFinder Web May 2, 2011. "LitFinder Contemporary Collection: Gale, 2007. Allen. “Howl and other poems”. 4th ed. San Francisco: City Lights Books, 1956. Printed May 2, 2011. Kerouac, Jack “Aftermath: The Philosophy of the Beat Generation.” Esquire Magazine, 1958. Printed May 2.. 2011.