Merrill, Thomas F. "Howl and Other Poems." Allen Ginsberg. New York: Twayne, 1969. 86-106. Print.
Thomas Merrill’s Allen Ginsberg is an expansive survey of the famous Beat poet’s literary career, including a chapter on the work Howl and Other Poems by Ginsberg, the book (or more specifically, the poem Howl itself, that shocked the nation. In this chapter, Merrill describes the history of the poetry collection, specifically the ensuing trial concerning the obscenity and arguing the literary worth of "Howl". He also explores the technique and style used in "Howl" and judges it against Ginsberg’s other work and contemporaries to examine just what exactly was revolutionary about "Howl."
The immediate hype of "Howl" was, according to Merrill, not due to the literary value to be seen it is, but rather the uproar that proceeded as a response to its publishing. In fact, much of the first literary critique and evaluation took place as testimony in the trial against "Howl's" publisher, Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books. Merrill lists the key events leading up to the arrest of Mr. Ferlinghetti, mainly the instance where a conflict over the obscenity of the volume occurred between Ferlinghetti and customs officials, and afterwards, where Ferlinghetti publicly bragged on the profit he was receiving from the book’s infamy. Merrill finishes the history section of his Howl and Other Poems chapter by quoting some testimony of the defense (literary analysis of Howl) that was published by Ferlinghetti’s own report of the trial proceedings in his Evergreen Review.
Merrill’s analysis of Howl is centered on the attitudes of Allen Ginsberg himself, such as how Ginsberg essentially attempted to write Howl completely void of self-censorship. However, Merrill also claims the idea that though Ginsberg believed he was doing something ‘new’ (in the sense of being new for him), the feelings and themes expressed have been common in Ginsberg’s earlier writings as well as those of his contemporaries. Instead, the publicity garnered by such a release of Ginberg’s convictions was “the real innovation.”
The immediate hype of "Howl" was, according to Merrill, not due to the literary value to be seen it is, but rather the uproar that proceeded as a response to its publishing. In fact, much of the first literary critique and evaluation took place as testimony in the trial against "Howl's" publisher, Ferlinghetti’s City Lights Books. Merrill lists the key events leading up to the arrest of Mr. Ferlinghetti, mainly the instance where a conflict over the obscenity of the volume occurred between Ferlinghetti and customs officials, and afterwards, where Ferlinghetti publicly bragged on the profit he was receiving from the book’s infamy. Merrill finishes the history section of his Howl and Other Poems chapter by quoting some testimony of the defense (literary analysis of Howl) that was published by Ferlinghetti’s own report of the trial proceedings in his Evergreen Review.
Merrill’s analysis of Howl is centered on the attitudes of Allen Ginsberg himself, such as how Ginsberg essentially attempted to write Howl completely void of self-censorship. However, Merrill also claims the idea that though Ginsberg believed he was doing something ‘new’ (in the sense of being new for him), the feelings and themes expressed have been common in Ginsberg’s earlier writings as well as those of his contemporaries. Instead, the publicity garnered by such a release of Ginberg’s convictions was “the real innovation.”
written by Nicholas Wilcox