putting some notes in the margins for you on american politics
In this Gilmore Girls soaked Howl essay, Niamh Poppleton argues that ‘I saw the best minds of my generation…’ and they were all in love with Jess Mariano.
where is it referenced in gilmore girls?
Howl is referenced numerous times in Nick & Nora/Sid & Nancy (season 2, episode 5) by Jess and Rory. The book Howl and Other Poems marks the start of their relationship, allowing them to bond over literature when Jess steals the book from Rory’s shelf to write notes in the margins for her.
annotations in the margins
Howl has always been the pinnacle of the Beat movement, both through its rejection of traditional form and its criticism of the mainstream. The form is fuelled by a sense of crazed madness, as explored in the use of free verse. Political outrage and the desire for rebellion seeps into the words upon the page, exploring the themes of censorship, capitalism, conformity and societal repression. It’s not only Ginsberg’s most famous poem but it is undoubtedly the standout of the collection — a poem that truly embodies punk spirit and the yearning for autonomous freedom.
The ‘Other Poems’ are a mixture of works spanning Ginsberg’s pre- and post-Howl periods. Each explore different themes and are brilliant in their own ways. America is a powerful and witty conversation about personal experience and the state of the country, told through a conversation between the speaker and the United States itself. Others explore Ginsberg's inspirations and the work of other writers, including Kerouac and Whitman. They range from being whimsical, and feeling almost like a fever dream, to sarcastic in discussion of politics and the human condition.
Howl and Other Poems is a truly brilliant poetry collection defined by its desire to standout, both through it's discussion of profound concepts and use of unusual style and form.
tab-worthy lines
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked”
“yacketayakking screaming vomiting whispering facts and memories and anecdotes and eyeball kicks and shocks of hospitals and jails and wars”
“who scribbled all night rocking and rolling over lofty incantations which in the yellow morning were stanzas of gibberish”
“where we are great writers on the same dreadful typewriter”
“where you bang on the catatonic piano the soul is innocent and immortal it should never die ungodly in an armed madhouse”
stars hollow scores
★★★★☆ - 4/5 stars
Howl and Other Poems is punk, powerful and prophetic. It’s both a call to action and an admonition towards society. It expresses important ideas through a lens of poetic beauty. What more could you ask for?
…Except maybe your own Jess Mariano to write some notes in the margins for you.