The Roaring 20’s Write down a list of words you associate with the 1920’s (at least 5) 30

“They were smart and sophisticated, with an air of independence about them, and so casual about their looks and clothes and manners as to be almost slapdash. I don't know if I realized as soon as I began seeing them that they represented the wave of the future, but I do know I was drawn to them. I shared their restlessness, understood their determination to free themselves of the Victorian shackles of the pre-World War I era and find out for themselves what life was all about.” –Colleen Moore

“Everywhere was the atmosphere of a long debauch that had to end; the orchestras played too fast, the stakes were too high at the gambling tables, the players were so empty, so tired, secretly hoping to vanish together into sleep and... maybe wake on a very distant morning and hear nothing, whatever, no shouting or crooning, find all things changed.” –Malcolm Cowley

The Roaring 20’s! – After the end of WWI, America’s wealth doubled – More people lived in cities than in the country – There was enough money in the average American’s pocket to prompt the popularization of certain brands and trends – Household radios became popular and allowed people to know and recognize jazz songs before they got to the dance floor

A Time of Recklessness and Lawlessness – There were massive amounts of speculation in the stock market (people bought stocks without the money to back it up) – Organized crime was common in cities like New York, as often members of the police force were open to taking bribes from the big bosses of successful gangs – In 1919 Prohibition outlawed alcohol and these crime bosses largely controlled the speakeasies that sold it illegally in underground clubs

Women in the 1920’s – Women had new freedom in the 1920’s due to the fact that many women had taken over jobs usually reserved for men during the war – Their success in the workforce gave them a taste of financial independence that, previously, only men had enjoyed – The style of young women’s dress and hair cuts reflected their bolder attitudes

Change in Women’s Style 1910’s 1920’s

The Popularization of the Automobile – Number of cars in America almost tripled from – Car became a symbol of recklessness – During the 1920’s alone, 25,000 died, and 600,00 were injured in accidents

The Harlem Renaissance There is an extra credit opportunity tied to this, should you choose to complete it.

“The best of humanity's recorded history is a creative balance between horrors endured and victories achieved, and so it was during the Harlem Renaissance.”

The Great Migration – During WWI, factories had been in great need of laborers, and many black families moved from the Southern countryside to Northern and Eastern cities – Allowed black workers better opportunity – Made black culture more visible in America

The Harlem Renaissance – During the 1920’s, black artists (writers, performers, visual artists) rose to prominence – Explosion of black art; artists gravitated to Harlem in NYC – American Black culture became more of an organized movement and several prominent leaders debated the best way to show pride in Black American identity – McKay, Du Bois, Hughes, Johnson, Hurston, and Toomer (to name a few)

F. Scott Fitzgerald and The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald – – Born in St. Paul Minnesota, moved with family to larger cities, then back to St. Paul in 1908 – In TGG, the Midwest is referred to as provincial, reassuring, and safe…wonder why – As an adult, lived just about everywhere: NYC, California, Switzerland, Paris, you name it

The Fitzgerald Family – Scott married Zelda and had one daughter, Scottie – Zelda had mental health issues, suffered several breakdowns in her life, and died traumatically in a hospital fire in 1948, after Scott’s death in 1940

Difficulties – Known for being recklessly wasteful: insisted he couldn’t live on $36,000 a year ($360,000 today) – Was an alcoholic from his 20’s on – Landed him in the hospital very often – Critics claim this limited the number of works he produced – 5 novels – 3 novellas – 8 short story collections – 1 play – 1 collection of essays, notebook excerpts, and letters

Praise for The Great Gatsby – T.S. Eliot said of the novel, “It’s the first advance in the novel genre since Henry James. It’s a prose poem of images and symbols.” – Today the novel sells 300,000 copies a year