Modernism Collection 11 From Realism to Modernism The

Modernism Collection 11

From Realism to Modernism • The violence of WWI and the devastation of the Great Depression damaged many American’s ideals. • People began to distrust the traditions that had guided American life for so many years. • This ain’t your grandma’s time no more!

Characteristic of Modernism • Sense of disillusionment and a loss of faith in the American Dream • Rejection of sentimentality and artificiality in favor of capturing reality • Emphasis on bold experimentation in style and form, reflecting the fragmentation of society • Interest in the individual and the inner workings of the human mind

Fitzgerald in Modernism • The work of Fitzgerald exposes the reality behind the crumbling American Dream. • Most of his characters are beautiful and glamorously wealthy, yet unhappy. • He believed underneath its shiny surface, American was falling apart.

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Early Life • F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, 1896. • His parents came from two different socio-economic classes.

Class Conflict • Fitzgerald developed a complex about money and social status early on. His father’s family was very poor; his mother’s family was rich and well-connected (Novels for Students 65). • This complex may have contributed to his success and eventual failure.

Teenage Dreams • Fitzgerald, like most boys at this time, wanted to be a football star. • But, he wasn’t talented enough to pursue this

Education • Fitzgerald was supposed to graduate in 1917 from Princeton, but he was in poor academic standing.

• Fitzgerald entered the army in 1917 because he knew he wouldn’t graduate. To the Army

Fate Intervenes • “Fate, in the form of the U. S. army, stationed him near Montgomery, Alabama in 1918, where he met and fell in love with an 18 -year-old Southern belle Zelda Sayre” (Willet).

Zelda, the Wonderful • Zelda was the youngest daughter of six children from a very rich family. • Her father was a Supreme Court Justice.

The Affair • Fitzgerald falls madly in love with Zelda, and they get engaged. • However, she breaks off the engagement because he isn’t rich enough.

Success Despite Heartbreak • Fitzgerald returns to New York. • He completes This Side of Paradise. • It’s an overnight success. • One week later, Zelda marries him.

Newly Weds/New Lifestyle • The Fitzgeralds lived in Long Island. • Their life was an ongoing party-they entertained, drank excessively, and lived well beyond their means.

Marriage • Zelda and F. Scott only had one child, named Francis Scott or Scottie. She was named after F. Scott’s distant cousin, Francis Scott Key. • While in France, Zelda cheats on Fitzgerald with a French Army Pilot.

Zelda’s Demise • Zelda’s life quickly unraveled after the affair. She attempted to become a ballerina; but, the eight hour practices damaged her health.

Zelda’s Final Home • Zelda was committed to an asylum for the insane. • She was diagnosed with schizophrenia. http: //www. fitzgerald-museum. org/paintings. htm

Zelda the Painter • While hospitalized, Zelda became a talented painter. • Her great aunt mused that Zelda’s sickness was caused by her inability to focus on one talent in life. http: //www. fitzgerald-museum. org/paintings. htm

The Demise of F. Scott and Zelda • F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a heart attack on December 21, 1940. He was 44 years old. Zelda Fitzgerald perished at a fire in Highland Hospital in 1948.

The Great Gatsby • Written in 1925 • One of the greatest literary documents of the 1920’s

The 1920’s • “Roaring Twenties” • “The Jazz Age” • “The Era of Wonderful Nonsense” • “The Golden Age” • “The Lawless Decade”

How did this happen? • There was an economic boom after WWI. • Lower production costs made it possible for people to buy things such as automobiles and refrigerators-things previously owned only by the wealthy.

Social Changes • Inventions like canned goods and electric appliances help liberate women from the home. Many took jobs for the first time.

The Age of Lawlessness The Era of the Gangster and the Bootlegger • The 18 th Amendment prohibited the sale and manufacture of alcoholic beverages in the U. S. • This prompted the establishment of “speakeasies”-secret clubs that sold alcohol. • This in turn boosted crime as gangsters competed for control

Fast Times • “Flappers-” some of the younger women bobbed their hair, wore short skirts, and threw caution to the wind. • They smoked, drank cocktails, and danced a new dance called the Charleston.

SOME THEMES OF THE GREAT GATSBY • Each theme relates to an essential question. • Have essential questions in mind while reading. • These are just a few themes

The Great Gatsby Essential Questions 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. What idealistic and materialistic values define America as a nation? Is searching for happiness of your past healthy? What could be the dangers of ambitiously following one’s dreams? What does it mean when one loses their spirituality? What does losing your spirituality entail? What makes a person hollow? What hollow men and women exist in our society? How far would you be willing to go to protect someone? Do you risk your own well-being to do so? What determines true happiness?

Loss of Spirituality • World has become immoral • Excess of violence • Money & Prestige = goal of the individual

Loss of Spirituality • Excess of sex • Excess of drugs/alcohol abuse • Flappers/Parties

THE HOLLOWNESS OF THE UPPER CLASS • $$$$$$$ • Social standing more important than character • Man is inherently reckless and selfserving