2. MODERNISM 1900-1950 “You are all a lost generation.” -Gertrude Stein

3. POST-WORLD WAR I Machine gun and trench warfare turned war into a bloodbath Country lost its innocence Idealism turned to cynicism

4. The Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 brought suffering to millions of Americans. Writers broke with traditional themes and styles of the past.

5. THE AMERICAN DREAM 1. America is the new Eden: a land of beauty, bounty, and unlimited promise. The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, reflects both the promise and the disappointment of this idea.

6. 2. Optimism, justified by the ever- expanding opportunity and abundance that people expect of the U.S., embodies the American belief in progress and the “pursuit of happiness.”

7. 3. The importance and ultimate triumph of the individual – an independent, self-reliant person – comprises the 3 rd element. “Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.” –R. W. Emerson

8. NEW BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS INTELLECTUAL TRENDS MARXISM – socialistic beliefs in direct contradiction to American Capitalism

9. PSYCHOANALYSIS Freud opened the workings of the unconscious mind to scrutiny. The theory of the subconscious tested our belief in “free will.”

10. THE ROARING TWENTIES 1919 – Prohibition starts Fitzgerald coined the name: The Jazz Age Pursuit of pleasure became a priority

11. War caused uncertainty, disjointedness, and disillusionment A nation on a binge – boot-legging, speakeasies, gang warfare Economy was booming; cities expanding

12. Movies became big business Many new fads – raccoon coats, flagpole sitting, the Charleston Expatriates – many writers and artists flocked to Paris, disillusioned with the American dream

13. NEW AMERICAN HERO Introduced by Ernest Hemingway, he was a man of action, a warrior, a tough competitor. He has a code of honor, courage, and endurance.

14. Hero shows “grace under pressure.” However, he’s completely disillusioned. He believes unbeatable odds are ranged against us all, so he recognizes and snatches up the rare, good, rich moments that life offers.

15. MODERNISM IN LITERATURE Writers began experimenting with new styles, forms and techniques Sought to reflect the fragmentation of the modern world

16. Writers omitted transitions, resolutions, and explanations Free verse rather than traditional forms in poetry Themes usually implied, rather than directly stated, creating uncertainty and forcing reader to draw own conclusions

17. SYMBOLISM – a form of poetic expression in which the writer violently rearranges the world of appearances in order to seek a different, more truthful version of reality. Tried to portray the emotional effects suggested by objects.

18. IMAGISM – demanded hard, clear expression, concrete images, and language of everyday speech. Imagists believed that imagery alone could carry poem’s emotion and message. Rid poetry of its prettiness, sentimentality, and artificiality

19. STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS writing style borne out of psycho- analysis which abandoned chronology and attempted to imitate the moment- by-moment flow of a character’s perceptions and memories.

20. VOICES OF THE MODERN ERA  “In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o’clock in the morning.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald  “No more war, no more plague, only the dazed silence that follows the ceasing of the heavy guns.” – Katherine Ann Porter  “Everything is the same and everything is different.” – Gertrude Stein