Containing the Beat: An Analysis of the Press Coverage of the Beat Generation During the 1950s

The early Cold War era was a period marked by a fear of Communist subversion and a distrust of the other. It was during this time that the Beat Generation emerged in literature and society as a minority opinion group—failing to conform to mainstream norms and living outside the margins of acceptable American culture. In response to the Beat Generation and their dissenting viewpoints, the media framed the Beats in a mostly negative manner. This negative framing was fueled by a desire to delegitimize the Beats as well as any other dissenting groups that posed a threat to American ideology. By examining a series of primary sources from the 1950s, the media’s attempts to contain the Beat movement are not only apparent but speak to the larger themes of Cold War paranoia and fear