Abstract

This thesis is the result of my passion for Beat literature and ecological ethics. The 1950s and the Beat Generation are rarely discussed regarding the evolution of environmental ethics in the United States of America. This is an obvious intersection of two fields that could be of use to our society that today faces great environmental challenges. This thesis uses the published and unpublished works of Beat writers Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, Michael McClure and Lew Welch in an attempt to understand their interpretations of nature and humankind✹s role within it. It concludes that they exhibited important ecological principles in their writings and lifestyles and that we can better appreciate the evolution of Deep Ecology and eco-centrism more broadly by studying the Beats.