Richard Brautigan, A Confederate General From Big Sur

Jill E. Anderson (Middle Tennessee State University)
Download PDF Add to Bookshelf Report an Error

First published by Grove Press in 1964 and written after the more famous

Trout Fishing in America

,

A Confederate General from Big Sur

is sometimes described as Richard Brautigan’s most “traditional” novel. Claimed by both the Beats and the Counterculture, Brautigan and his work bridge many of the themes explored by the two movements: disillusionment with and rejection of mainstream bourgeois American culture, opposition to the industrial war complex, embrace of wanderlust, self-imposed poverty, and a lifestyle centered around the arts and independence, distortion of elements of reality, and incorporation of spiritual explorations. As a 1971 review of

A Confederate General

explains,

As usual, Brautigan is celebrating the American dream at a point where the stallions of hope have long

1686 words

Citation: Anderson, Jill E.. "A Confederate General From Big Sur". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 March 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=32020, accessed 19 March 2024.]

32020 A Confederate General From Big Sur 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

If you need to create a new bookshelf to save this article in, please make sure that you are logged in, then go to your 'Account' here

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.