Poetics of Madness and Prophecy: Focusing on Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl.”

This paper is a study on the poetics of madness and prophecy in Allen Ginsberg’s poem, “Howl.” The poem is considered to be one of the principal works of the Beat Generation, which was a literary movement started by a group of authors in the fifties in America. The Beats have been reputed as new bohemian hedonists who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity. “Howl” is famous for being born under William Blake’s most powerful influence. This study focuses on the causes and sources of the insanity of the Beats and identifies how their insanity develops into a poem of prophecy. In the process, this study also analyzes the poet’s madness as both a consequence of social stigma and a source of prophetic self-confidence.