Final answer:
Authors of the Beat Generation like Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac focused on themes of anti-materialism, nonconformity, sexual liberation, and higher consciousness in their works, which critiqued post-WWII American society and culture. Their nonconformist lifestyle and countercultural ideas were central to their narratives and their influence persisted into later cultural movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two authors of the Beat Generation, who are often referred to in discussions about 1945-1962 counterculture literature, focused on a variety of themes in their novels and poetry. These themes include a critique of materialism and conformity of post-World War II America, an embracing of alternative lifestyles, and a quest for higher consciousness. The Beat Movement, and its proponents such as Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac, showed a strong aversion to capitalism and sought to express a higher form of experience through daily meditation, alternative music and poetry, and impromptu actions.
Furthermore, issues such as sexual liberation, critiques of the political establishment, and explorations of the American identity spurred their writings. Authors like Allen Ginsberg with 'Howl and Other Poems' and Jack Kerouac with 'On the Road' became symbolic of the generation with their spontaneous, jazz-like literary styles and subject matter that ranged from personal confessions to social criticism. The backdrop of their narratives often included influential settings such as Greenwich Village in New York, highlighting their nonconformist attitudes and opposition to the clean, materialistic image of suburban life.
Their works, although met with resistance from mainstream society and criticized as anti-intellectual or even degenerate, captured an undercurrent of American culture during that era. They would influence not only their contemporaries but also future movements, such as the hippies of the 1970s. Despite the harsh criticism, the Beat Generation's contribution to literature and culture is an enduring legacy of a quest for authenticity and freedom of expression.