Dharma Lion's Howl:A Study On The Postmodern Elements In Allen Ginsberg's Poetry

The name "Allen Ginsberg" is usually associated with "Beat Generation","Counter-culture","howl" and even "homosexuality".Dramatically,Ginsberg was granted a Buddhist name in 1972:"Lion of Dharma".As a hipper addicted in sex and drug in his early career,Ginsberg's name,much to our surprise,can be connected with "Buddhism".In addition,as a post-war poet who was widely known for his famous "Howl",his poetics must have been influenced by postmodern thoughts.Although many people connected his name with "postmodern",what postmodern elements can be revealed in his poetry and how?According to my research,so far few studies in the academic field have been done to answer this question systamatically.The term "postmodern" usually involves the concepts of post-modernity,post-modernization and postmodernism."Postmodern" as a literary term is usually used interchangeably with "postmodernism" in post-war literature.Postmodernism is a complicated and even self-contradictory concept and different theorists on postmodernism hold different views on it.With postmodernism theory as the theoretical basis,through generalizing those theories of different postmodernism schools and then its key points,this dissertation will identify and then interpret the postmodern elements in Ginsberg's poetry by reading Ginsberg's poetry and studying both the cultural and historical setting in which his poetry was created.I argue in this thesis that the postmodern elements revealed in Ginsberg's poetry are mainly manifested as follows:In terms of subject,it is "rebellion against any authority or center" and "deconstruct any binary opposition";In terms of writing technique,it is"spontaneous writing" and "poetry performance";In terms of culture,it is "openness to the East",especially Zen Buddhism and China.The essence of those elements is "rebellion"and "deconstruction"."Rebellion and deconstruction against any authority or center" for Ginsberg is the rebellion against American orthodox culture,his incedibility towards Grand Narrative,and his deconstruction of madness and reason;"Spontaneous writing" and"poetry performance" is the rebellion against traditional poetics,which is based on prosody and traditional views on language.Ginsberg's "openness to Eastern culture" is a manifestation of his rebellion and protest against the overwhelming situation of Christianity in America.and of his rebellion against any dichotomy,especially the dichotomy or confrontation between man and nature.In short:the postmodern elements in Ginsberg's poetry are mainly:rebellion,deconstruction,spontaneity,performance,and openness to the East.It is noteworthy that Ginsberg's openness to the East is not because how attractive the East is,but mainly because the East offers him a channel for his rebellion and protest.Actually he cannot find a remedy to save the West from the East.What's more,what he finds is there exists lots of social and political problems in China and it is a place full of exotics and otherness for a westerner like the poet himself.Ginsberg's interest in Buddhism is mainly in Zen Buddhism's "Emptiness",other than something soterial.The keynote of those postmodern elements in Ginsberg's poetry is"rebellion","carnival",and "nihility".Ginsberg pushes Modernism's slogan "Make it new" a step further through rebellion and renovation in his potmodern poetry.It is just in his rebellion against tradition and pursuit for newness that Ginsberg's poetry feeds into the history of American poetry,whose striking features are "rebellion" and "revolution".However,compared with his peer poets,Ginsberg goes further and more radical on this way of rebellion and renovation.