amberclarke

A writing professor once told me that I write like Jack Kerouac, which I think is why I bought this and one other Jack Kerouac book at the university book store long, long ago. I had never read his work, and I was curious about it. Well, I finally got to read him today, and I don't know if I should be happy or not with the comparison my professor made. The rhythm of the writing is like mine used to be, when I wrote for the professor's class -- very fluid and lyrical, like a subconscious thought, unending and linked from end to end, sprinkled every now and then with rhyme and alliteration, almost like a poem or a song. I guess it's stereotypical of the beat generation writing, the sort of writing that is better heard than read and can almost make you dance. His writing is very descriptive, evocative, and it sort of puts you in the scene in a dreamlike state, but God almighty, he needed some serious editing. Kerouac is cavalier about spelling and punctuation. He sometimes sacrifices grammar for the sake of the aural quality of the words, which kind of annoys me. I think you can achieve the lyrical voice or style without giving editors reason to cry. It pissed me off. It made the writing so dated, so black beret and turtleneck pretentious. But it fits the story, which is about Kerouac's love affair with a beautiful Mexican junkie prostitute. He's high or drunk in much of the story, so the beatnik writing fits. Who would have thought it? Finished reading June 7, 2007.

2020-08-20 14:58