Purdue University Purdue e-Pubs Open Access Dissertations Theses and Dissertations 1-1-2014 Roads of Rebellion: Cultural Contributions by Women of the Beat Generation Chelsea M. Stripe Purdue University Follow this and additional works at: https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations Recommended Citation Stripe, Chelsea M., "Roads of Rebellion: Cultural Contributions by Women of the Beat Generation" (2014). Open Access Dissertations. 1484. https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/open_access_dissertations/1484 This document has been made available through Purdue e-Pubs, a service of the Purdue University Libraries. Please contact [email protected] for additional information. PURDUE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE SCHOOL Thesis/Dissertation Acceptance Chelsea M. Stripe ROADS OF REBELLION: CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY WOMEN OF THE BEAT GENERATION Doctor of Philosophy Bill Mullen Wendy Stallard Flory Jennifer Freeman Marshall Susan Curtis To the best of my knowledge and as understood by the student in the Thesis/Dissertation Agreement, Publication Delay, and Certification/Disclaimer (Graduate School Form 32), this thesis/dissertation adheres to the provisions of Purdue University’s “Policy on Integrity in Research” and the use of copyrighted material. Bill Mullen Rayvon Fouché 10/16/2014 i ROADS OF REBELLION: CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY WOMEN OF THE BEAT GENERATOIN A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of Purdue University by Chelsea Marie Stripe In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy i December 2014 Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana ii For the women of the Beat Generation ii iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I thank my dissertation committee for their time, support, and direction. First, I’d like to express my appreciation to Dr. Bill Mullen who has advised me through each phase of my doctoral degree. Dr. Mullen was the program director and my instructor when I first arrived at Purdue; from the start, he created an encouraging and challenging atmosphere for my work. Dr. Wendy Flory taught an unsurpassed course on contemporary poetry, where I gleaned skills and knowledge indispensible to this dissertation. I am grateful for her involvement in my committee. I also appreciate the thoughtful guidance of Dr. Jennifer Freeman Marshall. She has given me insightful feedback on my coursework, dissertation, and job search. Finally, Dr. Susan Curtis has been such an inspiration to me. I admire the extraordinary example she sets for her students and for her fellow scholars. Her support has motivated me to consider new directions for research and to take care in my work. Thank you, Dr. Curtis. I would like to thank a number of communities that have provided support and inspiration as I completed my doctoral degree. First, I extend gratitude to Purdue iii University’s American Studies program faculty. Along with Dr. Mullen, and Dr. Curtis, Dr. Nancy Gabin and Dr. Rayvon Fouché have given Purdue’s American Studies students unmatched direction. I also appreciate the School of Interdisciplinary Studies staff. In particular, Delayne Graham has been an invaluable resource and friend, responding iv helpfully and carefully to every concern. I thank my friends and mentors in Beat Studies; I’m honored to be a part of the Beat Studies Association and the European Beat Studies Network. Finally, I’m grateful to the Columbia University Rare Book and Manuscript Library for giving me the opportunity to conduct archival research for my project. I would also like to thank my colleagues in Purdue University’s American Studies and affiliated programs. This impressive collection of thinkers pushed, encouraged, and informed my work. Specifically, my gratitude goes out to my peer mentor and friend, Abby Stephens Elliott. I always found inspiration in her sharp mind and endless energy. Also, I’d like to recognize the Dissertation Writing Support Group, whose group writing sessions and regular check-ins helped me remain focused in the final phases of my project. Finally, I’d like to thank my former Ohio University colleague, Dr. Julie Nelson. Our weekly accountability emails kept me on track and in good company at each juncture. I certainly could not have managed as successfully without her friendship and support. Finally, I’d like to thank my family. I’m grateful for their interest in my work and for their unfaltering confidence in my success. My grandmother is generous and good, iv and I try to work hard by her example. My sister’s influence on my work began during childhood when she would read to me every day. Now, her achievements inspire me, and her daughters brighten each day. Last, I acknowledge my parents whose support enabled me to finish my dissertation and my doctoral degree. I mean it when I say that none of this would have happened without their love and reassurance, and I mean it when I say thank you. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES .......................................................................................................... vii ABSTRACT ..................................................................................................................... viii CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION: CULTURAL CONTRIBUTIONS BY WOMEN OF THE BEAT GENERATION ............................................................................................... 1 An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Female Beats ...................................................... 4 Off the Road, On the Road: Containment and the Female Beats .................................. 8 Outline of Chapters ...................................................................................................... 20 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER 2. “BEFORE THE BULLET HIT HER BROW”: JOAN VOLLMER AND THE BUDDING BEAT GENERATION ......................................................................... 26 Pathologizing the Beats: Vollmer and the Spaces of Cold War Paranoia .................... 28 Beat Salons and Communes: Resisting Containment by Creating Spaces .................. 38 Conclusion: Vollmer’s Afterlife Legacy ...................................................................... 51 CHAPTER 3. CHAPTER TWO: INVENTING A NEW WAY: HETTIE JONES, BEAT WOMANHOOD, AND THE POETIC COMMUNITY ....................................... 58 At the Kitchen Table: Hettie Jones and Yūgen ............................................................ 64 Yūgen: Contexts and Contents ..................................................................................... 73 v The Legacy of a Little Magazine ................................................................................. 84 Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 88 CHAPTER 4. A ROOM OF HER OWN: JOYCE JOHNSON’S SPACES OF BEAT REBELLION ................................................................................................................ 91 “The Strange Lives We Were Leading”: A Model of Beat Womanhood .................... 94 Come and Join the Dance: New Directions for 1950s Womanhood ......................... 107 vi Page Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 114 CHAPTER 5. BACK ON THE BEAT ROAD: RETURNING LU ANNE HENDERSON TO CRITICAL DISCOURSE ............................................................... 117 Assembling the Layers: Henderson’s Road Experience in Historical-Cultural Context ....................................................................................................................... 121 “Where went thou, sweet Marylou?”: Re-reading Kerouac’s On the Road .............. 134 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 142 CHAPTER 6. BEATS AT THE BORDER: BRENDA FRAZER’S TROIA: MEXICAN MEMOIRS .............................................................................................................. 146 From Frontier to Frontera: A Framework for Reading Beats at the Border .............. 149 “A New Diversified You”: Frazer’s Border Identity ................................................. 158 Mexican Side/American Side: Subjectivity at the Border ......................................... 166 To the Brink at the Border ......................................................................................... 170 “A Revolutionary Thing” ........................................................................................... 173 CHAPTER 7. CONFRONTING CONTAINMENT IN JOANNE KYGER’S JOURNAL AND POETRY ............................................................................................ 177 The Containment Subject and “The Maze” ............................................................... 179 Through of the Maze: Kyger’s Journey to Japan and India ....................................... 185 vi “Persimmon Cowboy”: Containment Gender Roles Abroad ..................................... 190 Confronting Containment: Kyger’s Return ................................................................ 196 Conclusion ................................................................................................................. 200 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................. 202 APPENDICES Appendix A “Lullaby” ...........................................................................................