The Roaring Twenties - Historical Circumstances of 'The Great Gatsby'

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book The Roaring Twenties - Historical Circumstances of 'The Great Gatsby' by Toni Friedrich, GRIN Verlag
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Toni Friedrich ISBN: 9783656093862
Publisher: GRIN Verlag Publication: January 3, 2012
Imprint: GRIN Verlag Language: English
Author: Toni Friedrich
ISBN: 9783656093862
Publisher: GRIN Verlag
Publication: January 3, 2012
Imprint: GRIN Verlag
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, Martin Luther University, language: English, abstract: 'The Lost Generation' is a term which encompasses a broad range of American authors who were born around 1900. Amongst those litterateurs are many who are said to be among the most influential and important writers in the history of American letters. This term paper shall examine what historical circumstances constituted the 'common adventures' and 'common attitudes' of that generation as reflected in Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The term 'The Lost Generation' was given by Gertrude Stein, an authoress of note and contemporary of both Fitzgerald and Hemingway, who used her quotation: 'you are all a lost generation,' as the epigraph for his novel The Sun Also Rises. What is meant by the attribute 'lost'? Why was this dismal term applied to the young adults of the 1920s - an era of prosperity and freedom in America? How did Fitzgerald depict this 'lost' world in The Great Gatsby, with respect to material abundance on the one hand versus spiritual poverty on the other? The zeitgeist of an era inevitably shapes the human beings who live in it: how they act, what they look like, and what they think the meaning of their lives in particular and humanity in general might be. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the 1920s in America in order to understand fully the meaning Fitzgerald communicates in The Great Gatsby. This paper will therefore investigate several characteristics of the decade which are relevant for the interpretation of the novel. The parameters to be surveyed are: society in general; the materialism, wealth and industrialization which created that society; Prohibition as one of the most significant elements of the 20s; the faltering faith in God (as but one example of the failure of institutions that were supposed to be a refuge for human beings); and the loss of faith in the American dream and other treasured ideals. These issues will be analyzed in consideration of The Great Gatsby and the question of how Fitzgerald uses them as tropes for his social criticism of the so called Jazz Age. The paper will be based on a number of monographs and anthologies dealing with the major American writers and literature of the 1920s as well as the historical context that shaped their literary vision. The particular focus will be on Fitzgerald's seminal novel, The Great Gatsby, as it incorporates and inflects the major historical and literary themes of its time.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 2007 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 2,0, Martin Luther University, language: English, abstract: 'The Lost Generation' is a term which encompasses a broad range of American authors who were born around 1900. Amongst those litterateurs are many who are said to be among the most influential and important writers in the history of American letters. This term paper shall examine what historical circumstances constituted the 'common adventures' and 'common attitudes' of that generation as reflected in Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. The term 'The Lost Generation' was given by Gertrude Stein, an authoress of note and contemporary of both Fitzgerald and Hemingway, who used her quotation: 'you are all a lost generation,' as the epigraph for his novel The Sun Also Rises. What is meant by the attribute 'lost'? Why was this dismal term applied to the young adults of the 1920s - an era of prosperity and freedom in America? How did Fitzgerald depict this 'lost' world in The Great Gatsby, with respect to material abundance on the one hand versus spiritual poverty on the other? The zeitgeist of an era inevitably shapes the human beings who live in it: how they act, what they look like, and what they think the meaning of their lives in particular and humanity in general might be. Therefore, it is necessary to explore the 1920s in America in order to understand fully the meaning Fitzgerald communicates in The Great Gatsby. This paper will therefore investigate several characteristics of the decade which are relevant for the interpretation of the novel. The parameters to be surveyed are: society in general; the materialism, wealth and industrialization which created that society; Prohibition as one of the most significant elements of the 20s; the faltering faith in God (as but one example of the failure of institutions that were supposed to be a refuge for human beings); and the loss of faith in the American dream and other treasured ideals. These issues will be analyzed in consideration of The Great Gatsby and the question of how Fitzgerald uses them as tropes for his social criticism of the so called Jazz Age. The paper will be based on a number of monographs and anthologies dealing with the major American writers and literature of the 1920s as well as the historical context that shaped their literary vision. The particular focus will be on Fitzgerald's seminal novel, The Great Gatsby, as it incorporates and inflects the major historical and literary themes of its time.

More books from GRIN Verlag

Cover of the book 'Wir werden zu Märchenexperten.' Ein handlungs- und produktionsorientierter Umgang mit Märchen by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Eusebius und der antijudaistische Diskurs in der Demonstratio Evangelica by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Möglichkeiten und Grenzen standardisierter Befragung und standardisierter Beobachtung by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Die volkswirtschaftliche Bedeutung von Bildung - Humankapitaltheorie by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Menschliche Wahrnehmung und ihre Auswirkungen auf die Gestaltung von Software by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Globalisierung auf Mexikanisch - Bilanz der neoliberalen Entwicklungsstrategie am Länderbeispiel Mexiko by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Interkulturelle Aspekte und potenzielle Problemfelder im multinational zusammengesetzten Projektteam der Learnit Ltd. by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Florence Nightingale, die Dame mit der Lampe. Die Pflegetheorie von Florence Nightingale by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Der effektive Jahreszins nach Preisangabenverordnung by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Einsatz von Optimized Production Technology (OPT), Constant Work in Process (CONWIP) und Retrograde Terminierung (RT) in der Industrie by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Die Visualisierung des Höfischen in Gottfrieds 'Tristan' um 1200 by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Transsexualität bei Kindern. Ursachen, Entwicklung und gesellschaftlicher Umgang by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei gehörlosen Kindern und Jugendlichen. Grundlegende Begriffe by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book 'Soziale Stadt' Witten-Annen. Bilanz des Bund-Länder-Programms 'Soziale Stadt' by Toni Friedrich
Cover of the book Tiere im Turm. Das museumspädagogische Vermittlungskonzept einer Ausstellung der Stiftung Schloss Friedenstein by Toni Friedrich
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy