1. John Steinbeck

2. His life in a nutshell..  Born in Salinas, California in 1902
Grew up in a fertile agricultural valley
Decided to be a writer at 14 years old
Attended Stanford University but left in 1925 without a degree and moved to New York
In 1937 he published “Of Mice and Men”
Married a woman named Carol in 1930, but divorced her in 
Married Gwendolyn in 1943, but divorced her in 1947 
Married Elaine in 1950 
Won Nobel Prize for literature in 1962 
Passed away in 1968 to congestive heart failure 

3. https://www.youtube.com/w atch?v=3irviknt-fg
Details:
What do others think of Steinbeck’s work?
What was Steinbeck’s inspiration for the setting of his novel, “Of Mice and Men”?
What event in America inspired Steinbeck’s most well known novels?
atch?v=3irviknt-fg

4. The moderns
Known as “The Lost Generation” American writers of the 1920s brought Modernism to the United States.World War I destroyed the illusion that acting virtuously brought about good.

5. The Moderns:
World War one changed the American voice in fiction. It was like America had lost their innocence.
Elements of Modernism:
Emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form, reflecting the fragmentation of society.
They believe there is no such thing as absolute truth. All things are relative.
Sense of disillusionment and loss of faith in the American Dream
Rejection of the ideal of a hero as infallible in favor of a flawed hero
Interest in the inner workings of the human mind (stream of consciousness)

6. The American dream: Before
The American Dream consisted of three main components.
1. America as a new Eden (beauty, resources, opportunity)
2. Belief in progress
3. Triumph of the individual

7. The American dream: A crack in the world
The devastation of world war 1 and the economic crash a decade later damaged the idea of the American Dream.
The writers tended to be from the mid-west or western America
Their experience is that of alienation, loss, and despair.
The revised American Dream: Some of America’s most well known authors came out of the modernist era

8. The Moderns Anticipation Guide
What is the American Dream?
What does it take to achieve that dream?
Who determines your success in achieving the American Dream – you and/or others?
What is a dream that you have accomplished? What challenges did you face in realizing this dream?
Is it wrong to dream for something difficult to achieve – like winning the Super Bowl, or an Academy Award for best actor/actress? What’s your most ambitious dream?