The Moderns 1900-1950

After WWI… Loss of innocence Idealism turned to cynicism Strong disillusionment with tradition

Writing Bold experimentation and a rejection of traditional themes and styles Literature was fraught with tension, struggling with deep universal questions yet never coming up with fully reliable answers. Focus of writing shifted from merely recording the world in which they lived to saying something about that world, as well.

The “Roaring Twenties” Two Amendments to the Constitution launched the decade and defined its character. Prohibition— “Noble Experiment” -Strove to uplift America’s moral character through the banishment of alcohol. -Social climate of the era did not respond to this regulation 19th Amendment—Women’s right to vote

“The Jazz Age” Racy and unconventional New moral codes Short-skirted flappers Bobbed hair Slang Jazz Music Stock market boomed Rich spent money on parties and expensive acquisitions Automobile=symbol of glamour and wealth

Coco Chanel—Celebrity Fashion Designer

Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald—famous flapper

Duke Ellington—Musician and band leader

Al Capone—Famous Gangster

Albert Einstein—Scientist

Babe Ruth—Baseball player

F. Scott Fitzgerald—author of The Great Gatsby

The Tenets of the American Dream America is a new Eden, a “promised land” of beauty, unlimited resources, and endless opportunities. The American birthright is one of expanding opportunity. We can optimistically expect life to keep getting better and better. The independent, self-reliant individual will triumph. Everything is possible for the person who places trust in his or her own powers and potential.

What is today’s American dream? How do you define the American dream now? (is there even an American dream anymore?)