1. American Modernism An introduction to Modern Literature, the world in which it existed, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

2. Essential Questions How does Modern literature reflect the decline of morality present in American society during the 1920s and 1930s? What has the “American Dream” come to mean? How does F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby function as a social commentary?

3. Historical, Social, and Cultural Causes Loss of hope in the goodness of humanity ◦ World War I  Modern weapons clashed with old tactics  Trench warfare  Mustard gas  Training not as valuable as advanced weaponry  Europe destroyed  Flu epidemic Many saw Nationalism as a root cause of WWI

4. Old fashioned warfare and weapons mixed with new technology lead to devastating results…

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9iR0xJ W-Fk&feature=related (teacher tube) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKQwJG frOQo&feature=related (downton abbey Season 2, episode 1)

6. Historical, Social, and Cultural Causes Nationalism is extreme pride and sense of patriotism in one’s country; looked on unfavorably because of WWI’s deaths and destruction “God, King, and Country” no longer seemed worth dying for… Many began to question the existence of God ◦ Religion saw a decline in popularity and in numbers

7. Historical, Social, and Cultural Causes Americans saw the pillars that their lives were built upon crumble beneath them: ◦ The Great Depression ◦ Unemployment ◦ Banks Closing ◦ Lack of Government help This resulted in a lack of trust in the country and in the government, which lead to a new mentality adopted across the country…

8. New Money vs. Old Money

9. Old or New money?

11. A New Mentality We can control ourselves but not the world. v. There came a loss of faith in humanity and the world at large People should look out for themselves. The individual is the only one who is going to ensure that his/her needs are met. Man v. World

12. Historical, Social, and Cultural Causes “Westernization” of other countries and cultures legitimized changes in USA ◦ As businesses spread, ‘traditional’ societies changed their values to mimic those of America  Belief in the desirability of industrialization  Individual political rights  Democracy  Private ownership of means of production  Public institutions  Questioning the existence of God

13. “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes…” So many negative aspects to life caused people to focus on themselves rather than society at large; ◦ Decline of morals and values ◦ Speakeasies (illegal during prohibition but popular) ◦ Organized Crime ◦ Changes in dress and fashion  Short “bobbed” hair and flapper dresses with exposed ankles for women

14. 1920s - Flappers

15. “Modern” Literature Defined roughly as any literature published between WWI (1914 – 1918) and WWII (1941 – 1945) A reaction to realism and naturalism ◦ Wanted to portray the world as it actually was ◦ Was not going to shy away from the harsh realities of life ◦ Includes dialect and local color ◦ Focuses more on the individual and their thoughts rather than a story or plot

16. Absurdism Uses absurdism to duplicate in literature and art the absurd conditions of modern life: millions dying in wars, B commonplace horrors like the Holocaust, living in a world in which God is dead…

17. Characteristics of Modernism Uses images and symbols as literary techniques Includes colloquial language (rather than formal language) Uses language in a self-conscious way (words were seen as a technique for crafting a piece of art) Stream of consciousness writing style No cohesive narrative voice; readers must connect the dots Language used as a special medium that could craft and influence what the piece of literature could be Ultimate goal was to change the way that their readers saw the world and to change our understanding of what language is and what it can do

18. Common Themes in Modern Literature Decay (of society, values, morals, etc.) Isolation Stagnation Alienation The World is a Wasteland Decadence

19. Modern Literature and Art Artists and authors very much aware of audience Wanted the reader (or viewer) to develop their own meaning from their own personal reaction and interaction with the piece ◦ Once art left the author’s / artist’s hands, it was no longer theirs  What are the implications of this belief?