The Legacy of Joan Vollmer: The Short Significant Life of a Beat Woman

Authors

Christopher Carmona, University of Texas at Brownsville

Date of Award

10-2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

English

First Advisor

Dr. Diana Dominguez

Second Advisor

Dr. Kathy Bussert-Webb

Third Advisor

Dr. Kathy Bussert-Webb

Abstract

In this thesis, I have endeavored to flesh out the life of Joan Vollmer. Joan Vollmer was an essential figure in the Beat Generation of Writers even though she never published a word. Through researching the life of Joan Vollmer, the role that she played in the creation of the Beat Generation becomes clear. Joan Vollmer is mentioned in the major Beat texts, but there is no definitive look at her life and importance. Therefore, I set out to do what no one has done and write about Joan Vollmer' s life. I have collected as many letters that still exist to and from Joan as possible. I have poured over the primary and supplemental materials, including unpublished letters and documents that no one has ever accessed. I also tried to identify everyone who might have known her and been associated with Joan. I have managed to uncover some interesting details about her early life, like her first marriage that happened when she was 16, not older, like most scholars believe. My thesis is an exploration of Joan's life, trying to understand why she self-destructed, and what was it about her brilliance that so attracted Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac, and others. Brenda Knight labels Joan Vollmer as a muse for the Beat Generation, but I believe that Joan was more than a muse. She was an active engineer of the philosophy of the Beat Generation. In this thesis, I have applied the sociological theory of liminality and communitas to gain a better understanding of her importance. The theory of liminality states that there are stages in life that are betwixt and between two states of existence. The communitas is that environment which accommodates liminal figures during the liminal process. In the case of the Beats, Joan Vollmer' s apartment played the role of communitas. What occurred in Joan's apartment had an added element of being a Tzimtzum-the Jewish concept of a defined space that God's presence once touched but is now devoid of grace. During this time, the Beats considered their movement a spiritual movement, looking for God in a world devoid of his presence. Ultimately, Joan Vollmer led her life in liminality, constantly on the fringes of the Beat writers' lives and her influence seems even more difficult to define.

Comments

Copyright 2007 Christopher Carmona. All Rights Reserved.

Granting Institution

University of Texas at Brownsville

Recommended Citation

Carmona, C. (2007) The Legacy of Joan Vollmer: The Short Significant Life of a Beat Woman [Master's thesis, University of Texas at Brownsville]. ScholarWorks @ UTRGV. https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/leg_etd/1074