The Dharma Bums (Magill’s Survey of American Literature, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Jack Kerouac
- First Published: 1958
- Type of Work: Novel
- Genres: Long fiction, Autobiographical fiction
- Subjects: 1950’s, North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, South or Southerners, Nature, California, West, U.S., Spiritual life or spirituality, Pacific Northwest, Hypocrisy, Backpacking or backpackers, Buddha, Buddhism, Meditation
- Locales: California, North Carolina, Washington
As much as Kerouac admired Neal Cassady, the “greater driver” (in Allen Ginsberg's description) living in a “pious frenzy,” he knew that Cassady's high-intensity existence carried the potential for destruction and despair for himself and his friends. While not dismissing Cassady's danger-ridden enthusiasms or condemning his impulsiveness, Kerouac had begun to wonder if a life “on the road” in perpetual search for ecstasy was the only route to be followed. His interest in Buddhism, combined with his previous background in Christianity, suggested that a kind of serenity...
[The entire page is 1021 words long]
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