Post-war Culture

1. Post-war Culture Art and literature after the war

2. The Lost Generation: • The people of the 1920’s who rejected post-war American norms and values. • They became disenchanted with American morals and the American desire for excess. • Soldiers often came back from the war introspective and aimless. • Artists flocked to Europe

3. “World War I seemed to have destroyed the idea that if you acted virtuously, good things would happen. Many good, young men went to war and died, or returned home either physically or mentally wounded (for most, both), and their faith in the moral guideposts that had earlier given them hope, were no longer valid...they were ‘Lost.’ “

5. Experimentation • “The death of a generation meant the death of tradition” • Experimentation ruled supreme. • Dadaism (or “anti-art”) • Stream of Consciousness • Avant Garde

6. Review • The war made art more depressing, introspective, and dreary. It also became more experimental.

10. Literary Themes: • A lesson or moral statement made about the novel’s subject matter. • Examples: • “This story shows the obstacles to ambitions.” • “This story shows the importance of loyalty.”

11. Assignment • Jake and Bill, the main characters of this excerpt from The Sun Also Rises, are post-war American soldiers wandering aimlessly through Europe. They find joy in alcohol and parties – and not much else. They feel their life is pointless and meaningless. Likewise, in The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is seen as the representative of the “American Dream” – something the main character Nick cannot stand. • In one paragraph, please write why these two stories are representative of “The Lost Generation”