Handelingenkamer Tweede Kamer Der Staten-Generaal Den Haag, the Hague, Netherlands
Six weeks ago Washington Post critic Ron Charles caused a stir with an article titled “On Campus, Vampires Are Beating the Beats.” Looking back to the days when college students read Eldridge Cleaver’s Soul On Ice or Abbie Hoffman’s Steal This Book, Charles laments that today, “the best-selling titles on college campuses are mostly about hunky vampires or Barack Obama.” He continues:
Here we have a generation of young adults away from home for the first time, free to enjoy the most experimental period of their lives, yet they’re choosing books like 13-year-old girls — or their parents. The only specter haunting the groves of American academe seems to be suburban contentment.
Where are the Germaine Greers, the Jerry Rubins, the Hunter Thompsons, the Richard Brautigans — those challenging, annoying, offensive, sometimes silly, always polemic authors whom young people used to adore to their parents’ dismay? [...] Could any author of fiction that has not inspired a set of Happy Meal toys elicit such collegiate mourning today? Could a radical book that speaks to young people ever rise up again if — to rip-off LSD aficionado Timothy Leary — they’ve turned on the computer, tuned in the iPod and dropped out of serious literature?
Charles cites a recent survey that suggests two-thirds of American college students identify themselves as “middle-of-the-road” or “conservative.” Among the responses to Charles’s cry of anguish are online posts by Jenna Krajeski, at the New Yorker, and Scott McLemee, at Inside Higher Ed, who interviewed Charles about his essay:
“I was surprised and disappointed,” he told me, “by the number of respondents who felt I wanted college students to start reading the works of Abbie Hoffman and other ’60s and ’70s writers. Or that I was complaining that they weren’t reading more Serious Literature. That wasn’t really my point: I was actually disappointed that they weren’t reading more age-appropriate material: not stuff for middle schoolers and not stuff for adults, but all the kinds of crazy, wild, naïve, in-your-face, big-think literature that young people should be reading during that magical moment between high school and the first soul-crushing job.”
In preparing the Live Archive on the museum’s fifth floor, participating artists in “Younger Than Jesus” answered a survey question about books that had influenced them. Among the authors listed in their responses were Thomas Pynchon, J.G. Ballard, Naomi Klein, W.G. Sebald, Adrienne Rich, Toni Morrison, Sello K. Duiker, Victor Pelevin, Audre Lorde, Roland Barthes, Parastou Forouhar, and Hamid Mossadegh. Now we’re curious about our audience: What “in-your-face, big-think literature” has shaped you?
My age: 21. My bookshelf: A few thompsons, brautigan’s trout fishing, keseys, edward abbeys, confederacy of dunces, various history books, the communist manifesto (shhh…). Currently reading 1776–certainly a book my grandpa would read. However, please tell me where to find the “in-your-face, big think” literature of today! I’d love to read it.
I’m also interested.. Surely not Tao Lin or Miranda July, eh?
We have been silenced my friend. I remember at school questioning everything and the worst part was that people barely even reacted. They just wanted to finish class and go drink or smoke pot. Our generation is lame and apathetic to the point of comatose. Who the hell is going to run the country in the next 20 years?
hello? is there anybody out there? this can not be for real… im 24- a high school drop out(i did eventually get my ged and went to good ol community college:), and i must admit, i definitely went through a serious addiction to beat writers- ginsberg, keruac, patti smith, COME ON- are u seriously telling me that kids that actually made it into college DO NOT get into this shit?! … or even some david foster wallace maybe, shel silverstien hahahaha!!?? damn- i think there is much more knowledge outside the confines of the “school systems” - we need SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT!!! what ever happened to those??
I read the article. I am an author, and nearly against my will, a publisher. But, if you’re looking for a good read, avant garde, down to earth, iconoclastic and very entertaining, then check out backpocket e-pistles (Its on Amazon and at select bookstores.) It is the collected e-mail correspondence between a young man and his three best friends during their final year in college.
I am 37 years old, went to college, then spent the next ten years traveling, writing and reading: Kerouac, Henry Miller, Brautigan, John Fante, Knut Hamsun (Hunger, pub. 1898- one of the best unknown books…) Thoreau, and others were all influences on me. Funny thing, people love my book (thankfully) but I’ve got to change the title because the mainstream says no one gets the e-pistle (e-mail). Feel free to check it out and leave me a note on my website. I’ll be putting up stuff on a blog soon. I never published. Lived for writing and exploring and growing. Now i’m about to come out. I e-mailed Ron Charles but he must be too busy.
Twitter is not only status updates! Twitter is a venue where you can express your brand or yourself in way to captivate and socially interact with your followers. Twitter, in essence, is really about building online relationships with your followers.
Test out & Preserve your iPad for No cost of charge! -> http://bit.ly/cFBuis
lorem ipsum blabum leerum lusim husum kra
There is lots written out there about Twitter, but I really had fun reading this article, thank you!
I do believe this is an intresting post and desire to share with you this page i stumbled on that sell cheap adult toy.
Hello buddie, am just into the net search few info and fall upon your blog. I am engraved by the posts that you have on this blog. It reveals how well you follow this subject. Bookmarked this blog, will come back for further. You, buddy, Cheers!!!
Watch You Dont Mess With The Zohan Online Free
Thanks for presenting such an awesome info! Such a article writer who’s very not writing fillers and fluff but also very astute too. There’s quite often isnt a army of peeps who can create such interesting reads .My friend Jessica referred me about this url a number of weeks ago however currently this is the first time I’m visting here. Believe it or not, I’m! Woots!
Great site, a lot of useful information here. I’m sending to some friends.
hi, your website looks broken on my iphone, please fix it if you can.
Nice blog, you give me some good to start using on my own blog!
I never understood until the end of what’s written here, because I are not aware of English so well. You’ll be able to write it more sort?
this has all while using usefull data necessary.
Everyone loves what you guys are up too. Such clever work and reporting! Keep up the very good works guys I’ve incorporated you guys to my blogroll.
Fantastic site. Plenty of useful info here. I¡¦m sending it to several buddies ans additionally sharing in delicious. And naturally, thank you in your sweat!
appreciate the blog post. put more pictures, everyone loves pictures
Hello may I exemplify some of the insight from this despatch if I provide a relation helpless to your site?
Appreciate it for this post, I am a big big fan of this web site would like to go on updated.
I have been checking out some of your posts and i can claim pretty good stuff. I will definitely bookmark your website.
would wish to appreciate the attempts you have made in writing this write-up. I really hope a similar best work from you in the future too. The fact is your creative writing skills has inspired me to get started on my personal weblog now.
Hello my family member! I want to say that this post is amazing, great written and include almost all significant infos. I would like to peer extra posts like this .
I have not checked in here for some time since I thought it was getting boring, but the last few posts are great quality so I guess I will add you back to my everyday bloglist. You deserve it my friend
amazing things here. I am very glad to see your post. Thank you so much and i am looking forward to touch you. Will you kindly drop me a e-mail?
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know a lot about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but instead of that, this is magnificent blog. A great read. I’ll definitely be back… Wine New York
Hi there! Quick question that’s completely off topic. Do you know how to make your site mobile friendly? My site looks weird when viewing from my iphone. I’m trying to find a template or plugin that might be able to fix this issue. If you have any suggestions, please share. Thank you!
Nicely written articles like yours renews my faith in today’s writers. You’ve written data I can finally agree on and use. Thank you for sharing.
Hi there was just surfing through the net looking for some new interesting material when i located this post on bing. I had to write you a message to show you that I really loved this post. I just cannot come across a lot good quality anymore on the world wide web anymore with all the trash out there so whenever I do uncover a good blog post I value it. Keep up the fantastic job and I am absolutely sure this blog is going to go a long ways and grow to be extremely well-known
t’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
Excellent write!.. I’ve been looking around for this for a while now. Thank you Google for bringing me to your website lol. I can usually rely on Google to get the best information. Anyways, I identified some related info about Best consumer debt collection firm also. You might want to check them out (http://addisoncollectionagency.info). Pretty exciting read, also. Anyways, thank you for your post! If you have anything else related, please shoot me and email to let me know. Take care! PS .. I bookmarked you on StumbledUpon as Ron Charles on the Twitter generation’s reading habits | Reports from The Generational: Younger Than Jesus
I’ve been browsing online more than 3 hours today, yet I never found any interesting article like yours. It’s pretty worth enough for me. Personally, if all webmasters and bloggers made good content as you did, the web will be a lot more useful than ever before.
Thank you for another great post. Where else could anybody get that type of information in such a perfect way of writing? I’ve a presentation next week, and I’m on the look for such information.
Great stuff!.. I’ve been looking around for this for a while now. Thank you Google for bringing me to your web site lol. I can often rely on Google to get the best details. Anyways, I located some related information about Affordable B2B debt collection firm also. You may want to check them out. Pretty interesting read, also. Anyways, thank you for your post! If you have anything else related, please shoot me and e-mail to Domingez51@gmail.com to let me know. Take care! BTW .. I bookmarked you on StumbledUpon as Ron Charles on the Twitter generation’s reading habits | Reports from The Generational: Younger Than Jesus also added a link to my site http://oronocollectionagency.info - please link back to my site if you want to.
I always follow your post because there are full of compelling information about various things.
Very informative blog on nutrition and weight loss. I think many could benefit from reading your sitio web therefore I am subscribing to it and telling all my friends.
It’s hard to find knowledgeable people on this topic, but you sound like you know what you’re talking about! Thanks
I really like it! I’ll always appreciate your brief sharing in this awesome stuffs sincerely, this discussion has put light on this topic.
Your weblog came up in my search and that i am astounded by what you have composed on this topic. I am currently branching out my investigation and therefore cannot contribute further, still, I have bookmarked your internet site and you’ll be returning to keep up with any forthcoming revisions. Just Now think it’s fantastic and gives thanks for granting my input.
It’s really great stuff overall, I just wanted to say thank you. I am looking forward to another great article from your side.
I’m impressed by the way you embraced this subject. It isn’t frequently I encounter a website with hypnotic articles like yours. I will bookmark your feed to remain up-to-date together with your succeeding revisions.Just beautiful and do uphold up the solid work.
There are very informative stuff which I looking for, I’ll bookmark this site for further information, such a great job.
This post is good enough to make somebody understand this amazing thing, and I’m sure everyone will appreciate this interesting things.
you are really a good webmaster. The website loading speed is incredible. It seems that you’re doing any unique trick. Furthermore, The contents are masterwork. you’ve done a magnificent job on this topic!
There such an amazing stuff, I didn’t seen ever before, I am actually searching for this, and I got here only, so thanx buddy.
Just to let you know, this post seems a little bit funny from my android phone. Who knows maybe its just my mobile phone. Great article by the way.
Oh No, that’s it. I’m winding down my blog. Nothing leftover to talk about. Wretchedly virtuoso content guys. I hated myself for it, but sincerly could not help reading the whole site. Wonderful afternoon read!!! Cheers.
It’s really great stuff and I look forward to reading your post. What you have to say is important and should be read.