1. Youth & The Lost Generation
Sinclair Lewis
F. Scott Fitzgerald

2. New group of writers : Lost Generation
Young Adults responsible for new Fads (Flagpole Sitting & Marathon Dancing)
New group of writers : Lost Generation
Rejected the desire for material wealth
Group of writers believed American had become overly materialistic and lacked in spirituality
Sinclair Lewis: (Main Street & Babbitt) ridiculed the narrowness and hypocrisy of American Life
Novels were innovative for giving strong characterizations of modern working women.
First American author to be awarded the Noble Prize for Literature (1930)
F. Scott Fitzgerald: (The Jazz Age & The Great Gatsby)
Gatsby is the story of an immensely rich, but mysterious and unhappy self-made man. Hints that the search for purely material success often leads to tragedy

3. The Harlem Renaissance
Jazz
Poets & Writers
Langston Hughes
Countee Cullen
Zora Neale Hurston

4. 1920s often referred to as Jazz Age – reflects great importance of the newly formed African-American Music
General awakening of African-American culture during this time period is known as the Harlem Renaissance
Begun with rising middle class African-Americans – more than just about music
Art : Dance, Visual Arts, Literature, Poetry
Era when African-Americans felt as though they had been liberated
Unprecedented level of optimism, a pride in all things black, and a confidence in their own future – one that was beyond African-American communities

5. Langston Hughes: Recognized as one of America’s best poets
Langston Hughes: Recognized as one of America’s best poets. Born in Mississippi, he was drawn to Harlem like other African- American artists and writers. Drew on his personal experiences in writing about what it was like to be an African American growing up in America. One of the most popular writers of the Harlem Renaissance. Writings also expressed the new mood of rugged determination to overcome racial prejudice
Alain Locke: Expressed pride in heritage while attacking racism.
Zora Neale Hurston: one of the first successful African-American women writers
Countee Cullen: Leading Poet who won more major literary prizes than any other African-American writer of the 1920s

6. A Dream Deferred Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred? Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun? Or fester like a sore-- And then run? Does it stink like rotten meat? Or crust and sugar over-- like a syrupy sweet? Maybe it just sags like a heavy load. Or does it explode?
Langston Hughes