Modernism, the Jazz Age, the American Dream, and the Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby Modernism, the Jazz Age, the American Dream, and the Fitzgeralds

Modernism 1910s – 1960s

At a Glance 1910s – 1960s Both Northern America and Europe Slightly different in Europe than the US Famous Authors F. Scott Fitzgerald William Faulkner Famous Poets Ezra Pound Robert Frost

What is Modernism? “Sought to capture the essence of modern life through both form AND content” Both WHAT they wrote and HOW they wrote is part of the Modernist style Shows fragments of the world instead of building a whole world like in traditional literature Themes were implied instead of stated Mostly free-verse poetry, abandoning meter and form Forced the reader to draw their own conclusions

Causes of Modernism Influenced by World War I Americans lost their optimism after the war Replaced by disillusionment and uncertainty Didn’t trust the ideas and values of the world Those ideas and values had led to the war! Instead of seeing progress, they saw a decline in civilization Industrialization was just cold machinery and capitalism Questioned what was going to become of humanity

The Stream of Consciousness A literary device used in a story to capture the natural flow of a person’s thoughts Show’s the narrator’s pure, unadulterated thoughts Can be hard to follow since most people’s thoughts aren’t linear They don’t follow one single path One minute you’re thinking about your homework and the next you’re remembering the embarrassing moment you peed yourself last year

The Jazz Age The 1920s in America

The Roaring Twenties Very prosperous Boom in Construction End of World War I Women working too Boom in Construction Lots of economic growth Wartime earnings left a lot of money to spend

Class War of the 20s Nouveau Riche West Egg Old Money East Egg People who earned their money recently and quickly Thought to be of lower class Threw crazy parties to show off wealth No connections, no resources People who inherited their money Thought to be of higher class Too sophisticated to be seen at raging parties Established wealth meant resources and connections

Prohibition 18th Amendment, enacted in 1918 A ban of the sale, transportation, production and importation of alcohol Pushed by both parties, along with others Protestant leaders Social Progressives Anti-Saloon League Woman’s Christian Temperance Union Ended in 1933 with the 21st Amendment

Speakeasies Also called a blind pig Underground bars where people could drink Raided very often Still, remained very popular and profitable Led to integration of men and women of all colors Women started to become more involved in these businesses Home to many gangs and mobs

Women’s Rights World War I Forced to work outside the home Men were in the war, duty fell to women After the war, women didn’t go back to the homes Led back into the extra money families had 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote Enacted in 1920 Trying to find individual identity instead of just “Mother”

The Great Depression Black Tuesday Stock market crashed Unofficial end of the Roaring Twenties October 29, 1929 Stock market crashed Families lost everything in cities Dust Bowl in the Midwest Farmers lost everything in a major drought

The American Dream White Picket Fences

The American Dream Ability to grow and achieve success in America No matter your economic status No matter where you come from If you work really hard, you can do anything America is the land of opportunity You don’t need anyone else in order to succeed

The Lost Generation Young people of the 1920s Cynical about the world after World War I Rejected the materialism that was common in the Jazz Age Coined and commonly practiced by American authors

The Fitzgeralds F. Scott and Zelda

F. Scott Fitzgerald Grew up in the Upper Middle Class One of the ‘Lost Generation’ Became famous for This Side of Paradise Once he was famous, Zelda agreed to marry him Raging alcoholic after the success settled in Wrote The Great Gatsby for Zelda

Zelda Fitzgerald Zelda Fitzgerald IS Daisy Buchanan Struggled to find her identity Didn’t want to be JUST a wife or mother Wasn’t sure how to be anything else Struggled with schizophrenia Wanted to be famous on her own, not just as an accessory to someone else’s success