Episode notes
The source material is an exhaustive profile detailing the life and work of Jack Kerouac, a foundational figure in the Beat Generation literary movement, known primarily for his seminal novel On the Road. It chronicles his difficult biography, beginning with his French-Canadian roots and Catholic faith, tracing his path through Columbia University and brief military service, and concluding with his death in 1969 attributed to alcohol abuse. The entry extensively explores his unique writing methodology, often referred to as spontaneous prose, which was heavily influenced by the free-form structure and rhythmic nature of bebop jazz and his concurrent study of Buddhism. Furthermore, the text addresses the contradictions in ...