The Trickster in Ginsberg: A Critical Reading

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Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl can be examined as if a work about the archetypal trickster with a special focus on the figure of Coyote. This examination reconsiders Howl through a four-part trickster framework: appetite, boundlessness, transformative power, and a proclivity for setting and falling victim to tricks and traps. By looking at different trickster narratives, the historical and biographical contexts of Howl, and a wide variety of primary and secondary resources on Ginsberg as well as his poetry (including correspondences with Gary Snyder and James Luna), this study seeks to contribute to the current literature on the poetry of the Beats and of Allen Ginsberg, specifically his Howl, and the ways it continues to expand in meaning, depth, and significance today.