The+Great+Gatsby

toc =THE ART OF THE TEXT=



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@Research topics A Timeline of the 1920's A STUDY GUIDE MODERNISM IN LITERATURE

Modernism in Literature: Quick Overview
 written by: Trent Lorcher • edited by: Wendy Finn • updated: 3/2/2012 Don't confuse the Modernists movement with the standard dictionary definition of modern. Modernism in Literature is not a chronological designation; rather it consists of literary work possessing certain loosely defined characteristics. The following are characteristics of Modernism:
 * === What is Modernism? ===
 * Marked by a strong and intentional break with tradition. This break includes a strong reaction against established religious, political, and social views.
 * Belief that the world is created in the act of perceiving it; that is, the world is what we say it is.
 * There is no such thing as absolute truth. All things are relative.
 * No connection with history or institutions. Their experience is that of alienation, loss, and despair.
 * Championship of the individual and celebration of inner strength.
 * Life is unordered.
 * Concerned with the sub-conscious.

Known as "The Lost Generation" American writers of the 1920s brought Modernism to the United States. For writers like Hemingway and Fitzgerald, World War I destroyed the illusion that acting virtuously brought about good. American Modernists rejected traditional institutions and forms. American Modernists include:
 * Ernest Hemingway - // The Sun Also Rises // chronicles the meaningless lives of the Lost Generation. // Farewell to Arms // narrates the tale of an ambulance driver searching for meaning in WWI.
 * F. Scott Fitzgerald - The Great Gatsby shows through its protagonist, Jay Gatsby, the corruption of the American Dream.
 * John Dos Passos, Hart Crane, and Sherwood Anderson are other prominent writers of the period.


 * T.S. Eliot - Although American, Eliot's // The Wasteland // is associated with London and emphasizes the emptiness of Industrialism.

Mini Lesson: Make a chart to identify aspects of modernism. In the left column list the characteristics of modernism; in the middle column find specific passages; in the right column write an analysis of the passage.

=A Lost Generation=

After the dust of [|World War I] settled and the troops came home -- or didn't come home --it became evident that the world was changed forever. World War I ushered in a modern era of warfare with new fighting methods that affected an entire generation of young people. New technology introduced during World War I shaped the way wars would be fought from then on. For the first time, tanks, [|airplanes] and [|machine guns] made their way onto the battlefield. These new technologies magnified the effects of war, both in terms of how war was fought, but also how war affected people. World War I had a devastating effect on the world in terms of lives lost, with over 37 million casualties [source: [|Infoplease] ]. Countries that were hit hardest by the war lost entire villages of men. Those who came home were profoundly affected by their war experience. Feeling cynical about humanity's prospects, they rebelled against the values of their elders, seeking debauchery instead of decency, and hedonism instead of ideology. The generation born between 1883 and 1900 that came of age during this time became known as the Lost Generation. This moniker is credited to writer Gertrude Stein, who passed on her garage mechanic's words -- "You are all a lost generation" -- during a conversation with writer Ernest Hemingway [source: [|Coale] ]. Hemingway used this phrase in the epigraph of his book "The Sun Also Rises," and the name soon stuck. The phrase "Lost Generation" is also used to describe the literary landscape of this era. After the war, American writers felt lost and aimless. Many flocked to Paris during the 1920s to escape their traditions at home. These expatriates managed to capture the zeitgeist of the time. What were the attitudes of this Lost Generation? Let's take a look at how disillusionment manifested itself in a generation of youth.

=Characteristics of the Lost Generation = The members of the Lost Generation were born at the turn of the 20th century, when the world was changing at a rapid pace. The automobile was making its mark on society, becoming a popular mode of transportation. The Wright Brothers took the first [|airplane] flight. Sigmund Freud released his groundbreaking work, "The Interpretation of Dreams." As this generation was coming of age, millions of [|immigrants] poured into the United States, searching for a better life. With the competition for jobs and ever-increasing class distinction, the members of the Lost Generation became independent and self-sufficient, not looking to their elders for guidance.  [|World War I] had a tremendous influence on this generation. It lasted many years, and by the time it had ended, millions of men had been affected by the horrors of battle, losing a sense of the values their parents had instilled in them. War had forced this generation to grow up quickly, and for those who'd spent years in the trenches, war was all that they really knew. After the soldiers returned home, governments started ignoring their heroes, which caused the veterans to become quickly disillusioned with government. In fact, this generation became skeptical of all authority, especially now that their parents were pushing for [|Prohibition]. After the war, the Lost Generation started exploring its own set of values, ones that clearly went against what their elders had already established. Through its rebellion, the Lost Generation came up with its own social mores that gave rise to the Roaring '20s, with its gangsters, speakeasies and hedonism. This self-indulgent spree came crashing to a halt when the stock market crashed in 1929, leaving this generation to navigate the Great Depression during what would be the high point of their careers. Members of the Lost Generation were also nomadic. Many who had been to war no longer felt the need to return home, instead flocking to cities and even to Europe. Paris became one of the biggest outposts for expatriates, and it became a center for literary achievement of the day.

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=Trimalchio= Read both articles linked below, and then choose one article to write about. Summarize what you have learnt, and connect it to **The Great Gatsby** in a 200 word composition.

Visit Wikipedia to read about Trimalchio. Compare and contrast to James Gatz/ Jay Gatsby.
 * A**. One name Fitzgerald considered using for this novel was Trimalchio --- or Trimalchio in West Egg.


 * B**. Petronius, the creator of Trimalchio, greeted death in an unusual way. Read this and consider if you see reflections of this in Gatsby's own death.

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