1920s: The Jazz AgeIntroduction to The Great Gatsby

“It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of

excess, and it was an age of satire.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Lost Generation

-The “Lost Generation” was a term coined by American writer, Gertrude Stein.

-It referred to people who rejected the ideas and morals that America represented after WWI.

Lost Generation

-It also referred to the generation after WWI that lacked a sense of direction due to the effects of the War.

-Many became expatriates, such as Ernest Hemingway, T.S. Eliot, and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The Rise of Modernism

Piet Mondrian

Pablo Picasso

Modernism-Modernism in literature refers to the era

after WWI through WWII that reflects the disillusionment within society due to the effects of war. (Early 1910s through 1930s)

-Modernists broke from the traditional conventions of literature by experimenting with forms and themes to reflect a society that was “broken” in order to find meaning.

The “New” Woman-Autonomous, Individualistic, Independent

-Refers to women who wanted “new

modern choices.”

Flappers-Flappers are an example

of the “new woman.” They were characterized by flaunting their sex appeal, sporting a “bob” haircut, drinking, smoking, and they essentially broke the constraints of social norms during the 1920s.

Prohibition-In the year 1919, Congress ratified the 18th Amendment which made the production and consumption of alcohol illegal in the United States.

-Prohibition was in response to the Temperance Movement that was backed by religious groups and women groups.

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Speakeasies and Bootleggers

-Speakeasies: Underground bars, also known as joints, that sold liquor illegally. In New York, there were over 100,000 speakeasies alone in the 1920s, making it very hard to enforce.

-Bootlegging: Illegal distribution or production of liquor. With bootlegging came the increase of organized crime.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

-Born in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1896.

-Fitzgerald started writing in college, but due to poor grades, he dropped out of college to join the service.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

-While in the army, he met Zelda Sayre, but the relationship was unsuccessful due to the fact that Zelda was unwilling to marry him because of his small income.

-In 1920, Fitzgerald published This Side of Paradise, which instantly made him famous. Within a week, Fitzgerald married Zelda Sayre.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

-The marriage Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald was unstable due to Zelda suffering many mental break downs.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

-Fitzgerald died in 1940 of a heart attack. He believed he was a “failure” as a writer at the time of his death.

The Great Gatsby

-Published in 1925.

-The novel was not popular at the time of publication, but it was revived in the 1940s and 1950s.