examining female beat authors’ memoirs through the lens of communitarian authenticity: constructive dialogues with horizons of significance

Authenticity was one of the most important issues in beat generation literature in the late 1950s and the early 1960s, which emerged as a literary movement challenging the monotonous world dominated by work and financial issues (russell. 2002). while this literary movement was pioneered by men, the meaningful presence of female beat authors was undeniable. sounding their authentic voices in their memoirs, the marginalized female writers of this cohort revolted against the traditional patriarchal system dominating not only the culture of american life but also the beat generation, although their contribution was neglected for a considerable time. in this regard, chosen memoirs of the two eminent beat writers, diane di prima and hettie jones, were analyzed in the light of taylor’s (1992) communitarian perspective on authenticity, which addressed authenticity as part of one’s own identity shaped through dialogues with others as well as the observation of values and horizons of significance. from a communitarian perspective, not only is authenticity the attainment of our own interests, but also it comes from a social and ethical understanding. the findings showed that the two authors’ memoirs addressed other women throughout history as horizons of significance, although they were different in narrating their stories. while hettie jones integrated her life events into her own narratives, di prima highlighted the beat qualities to express her authentic self as a strong, independent, and fearless woman who tried to make a stance in the male dominant society.