Disillusion, Defiance and Discontent 1914-1946 Use your notes to find the answers for discussion.
Historical Background When did World War I start? Who was President of the U.S. during this time? What did he want? When did we enter war and why? Which alliances did we join? Who were the authors of this period?
Prosperity and Depression When did “The Great War” end? When did prohibition start and what is prohibition? What is bootlegging? (You should know this in order to understand Gatsby). What is a speakeasy?
Prohibition Prohibited the sale of liquor Made the sale of liquor illegal 1919
Bootlegging A term in reference to carrying, manufacturing, selling or transporting alcoholic liquor on one’s person or for others illegally Synonym - smuggling Jay Gatsby is a bootlegger
Speakeasy Place where alcoholic beverages are illegally sold during prohibition U.S.
What was life like during ?
1920’s Culture The flapper Short hair for women Hats for men and women Dancing Silent movies Jazz/Charleston “The Jazz Age was wicked and monstrous and silly. Unfortunately, I had a good time.” Heywood Broun
Activity 1: Think-Pair-Share Why do you think we call them the “roaring twenties”? Take one minute to write your answer. When I tell you to, share what you wrote with the person next to you.
THE FLAPPER by Dorothy Parker The Playful flapper here we see, The fairest of the fair. She's not what Grandma used to be, -- You might say, au contraire. Her girlish ways may make a stir, Her manners cause a scene, But there is no more harm in her Than in a submarine. She nightly knocks for many a goal The usual dancing men. Her speed is great, but her control Is something else again. All spotlights focus on her pranks. All tongues her prowess herald. For which she well may render thanks To God and Scott Fitzgerald. Her golden rule is plain enough - Just get them young and treat them rough.
The Roaring 1920s—Swingin’!!!!! Business Booms First shopping mall built First fast food chain, A&W Root Beer Appliances all the rage—radios, washing machines, telephones, cars Companies spend $1.5 billion on advertising in 1927 Ford built his automobile empire People began to buy things on credit
Victorian Woman Jazz Age Woman Contrast the women in these two drawings. Take two minutes to write down as many differences as you can. What’s the verdict? Victorian Woman Jazz Age Woman
Who is F. Scott Fitzgerald? Born 1896 - 1940 He was named after his distant cousin Francis Scott Key, the man who wrote “The Start Spangled Banner.”
His Life Attended Princeton University. Joined the Army to fight in World War I. Was sent to Alabama and met his wife, Zelda. She wouldn’t marry him until he had the money to support her in the way she was accustomed. After being dismissed from the Army he went to N.Y. to try to sell his first book. He locked himself in his room revising the book until it was published. The book= This Side of Paradise
His Fortune This Side of Paradise sol 3,000 copies in three days, catapulting Fitzgerald to instant fame. Magazines began buying short stories as fast as he could write them. Zelda agreed to marry him. He was the “golden boy of American Literature.”
His Work His short stories revolved around a new breed of an American woman - the young, free-thinking, independent “flapper” of the Roaring Twenties.
His Work (cont.) - couple moves to New York and spends The Beautiful and the Damned The Jazz Age - collection of short stories The Vegetable - a play By this time the couple drank and fought and later moved to Paris and partied hard The Great Gatsby was written but it did not sell well. Tender is the Night was written and was about a psychiatrist married to a wealthy mental patient (represents his wife). The Last Tycoon
His Victory Became the “voice” of the twenties. He is now ranked as one of the major prose writers of the 20th century. His fiction became the symbol of the frenetic energy of the era. No other writer captured so well the spirit of the Jazz Age, the moral decay of the generation.
The Great Gatsby A lyrical picture of American values, a uniquely romantic materialism in which people try to convince themselves that desire can define reality, that gesture can define action, and that sentiment can define emotion.
Anticipation guide You may NOT qualify your answers simply means to not explain, just yet. Use the back to keep track of the characters.
Who’s who in The Great Gatsby Nick Carraway - the novel’s narrator Tom Buchanan - Daisy’s husband, a rich and brutal man Daisy Buchanan - Nick’s cousin Jordan Baker - a beautiful woman who cheats at golf and in life Jay Gatsby - a racketeer, bootlegger and a romantic idealist. He is in love with Daisy
Who’s who (cont.) George Wilson - The owner of a garage in the “valley of the ashes” Myrtle Wilson - George Wilson’s wife; Tom Buchanan’s coarse mistress. Catherine - Myrtle’s sister Mr. and Mrs. McKee - a photographer and his wife (secondary) “Owl-Eyes” - a middle-aged man
Who’s who (cont.) Meyer Wolfsheim - Gatsby’s business partner, a gambler and racketeer Ewing Klipspringer - The pianist at Gatsby’s house Dan Cody - gave “Gatsby” his education
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