1. F. Scott Fitzgerald The Great Gatsby

2. Biography

3. Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald?  Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896  Was the second cousin three times removed from the author of the National Anthem  “Oh say, can you see by the dawn’s early light…”  Desired personal distinction and achievement from an early age  SHOULD HAVE graduated from Princeton University in 1917  Neglected his studies for his literary apprenticeship  wrote the scripts and lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club musicals and was a contributor to the Princeton Tiger humor magazine and the Nassau Literary Magazine  Joined the army in 1917 (the year he should have graduated)

4. Love Life and Bouncing Back  After his first novel failed to be published, his fiancée broke off their engagement.   After the broken engagement, he continued to write short stories for magazines.  Then… (get this!), his first novel, This Side of Paradise, was published and made Fitzgerald an overnight success!  SO… Remember the chick who broke off their engagement because she didn’t want to marry a poor writer? She married him a week after his novel was published.  Golddigger, anyone?

5. What happened next??  “They embarked on an extravagant life as young celebrities.  “Fitzgerald endeavored to earn a solid literary reputation, but his playboy image impeded the proper assessment of his work.”  (http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html)http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html  Fitzgerald moved from New York back to Saint Paul, Minnesota for the birth of his child.  He became increasingly popular as a writer and wrote his way out of debt.

6. Some of his writing  Major themes:  Love  Success  Aspiration and idealism  Believed this defined the American character  Loss  Sounds a lot like his life, right?

7. The Final High Point?  He wanted some inspiration, so in 1922, he went to France with his wife.  She had an affair with a French pilot  Around this time, the Fitzgeralds developed a close friendship with American expatriates Gerald and Sara Murphy  He also wrote The Great Gatsby while on his “vacation” in France.  Eventually, his wife became extremely eccentric and he wrote short novels just to pay for her psychiatric treatment.  After she was ok, they lived a lavish life until she relapsed in 1932 and had to spend the rest of her life in an insane asylum

8. The end  He died of a heart attack in Graham’s apartment on December 21, 1940.  Fitzgerald died believing himself to be a failure.  Zelda Fitzgerald perished at a fire in Highland Hospital in 1948. (WEIRD?!)  Not until 1950-1960 did his novels become famous American novels, obviously, The Great Gatsby was his most famous.  Examines the American Dream and aspiration to achieve goals

9. His Influences  The Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties  World War 1 World War 1  The 18 th and 19 th Amendments  Prohibition and speakeasies Prohibition and speakeasies  Flappers  The rise of automobiles  Music Music  Slang Slang  The Great Gatsby The Great Gatsby

10. The Roaring Twenties

11.  April 3 April 3  Joseph Stalin is appointed General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Soviet Communist Party. Joseph Stalin  October 18 October 18  The British Broadcasting Company is formed. (Have you ever heard of BBC?)British Broadcasting Company  October 28 October 28  In Italy, with the March on Rome, Fascism obtains power and Benito Mussolini becomes prime minister.ItalyRomeFascismBenito Mussolini  October 30 October 30  Benito Mussolini becomes the youngest Premier in the history of Italy. Benito Mussolini Italy  CAN YOU NOTICE WHAT IS BEING SET UP HERE?

12. Pictures from 1922 These are the beauty prize winners from 1922! Wow! (http://images.google.com/imgr es?imgurl=http://www.shorpy.c om/files/images/3b43364u.previ ew.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.s horpy.com/beauty-prize- winners-1922&usg)

13. World War I

14. End of the War  At the end of World War 1, the economy skyrocketed.  People could now spend more time on leisure activities.  This is how the Fitzgeralds could spend so much money on their lavish lifestyle.  Soon after, though, the Great Depression hit. 

15. Post-War American Attitudes  Disillusionment following World War I, particularly among veterans, artists, and intellectuals (the Lost Generation)  Society was lacking in idealism and vision  Sense of personal alienation  Americans were obsessed with materialism and outmoded moral values  Who are the Lost Generation?  People who had a youthful idealism,  Sought the meaning of life,  Drank a lot,  Had love affairs,  Lived in Paris,  Rejected American materialism

16. Speakeasies and Prohibition

17. A flapper hides a flask in her garters. Those who frequented speakeasies usually brought their own liquor with them, transporting it in their coat pockets, purses, or, as this woman demonstrates, in their stockings!  *http://www.huffenglish.com/gatsby/speakeasies.html Connie's Inn, a major speakeasy of the 1920's and 1930's. 

18. What is a speakeasy?  Since the law at this time prohibited alcohol, speakeasies developed.  A place to illegally get alcohol  During prohibition (1920- 1932), selling or making alcohol was completely illegal  The name came because the people at the speakeasies who sold the alcohol told the customers to be quiet and “speak easy”

19. The Novel The Great Gatsby

20.  Think The Great Gatsby isn’t popular or influential? Look at this postage stamp!

21. Some Predictions  Based on what we just talked about with the culture, history, background, and author, what do you think this novel will be about?  Some themes?  The mood?  Setting?  Characters?

22. Bibliography  http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html  Bibliographic information  http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/lec.1920s.html http://home.earthlink.net/~gfeldmeth/lec.1920s.html  World War I and the Roaring Twenties  http://students.umf.maine.edu/mccormka/public.www/hist ory/images/Flapper.jpg http://students.umf.maine.edu/mccormka/public.www/hist ory/images/Flapper.jpg  Picture on Slide 15  http://1920sgirls.tripod.com/lostgeneration.html http://1920sgirls.tripod.com/lostgeneration.html  The Lost Generation  http://kidoinfo.com/ri/wp- content/uploads/2009/02/speakeasy.jpg http://kidoinfo.com/ri/wp- content/uploads/2009/02/speakeasy.jpg  Speakeasy picture