Gatsby And Modernism

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The roaring twenties were a time of prosperity and change. The end of World War I led to people seeking to alter society and life in general. The new decade brought more modern change, especially in literature. The 1920’s really laid the foundation for American modernism. Writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Langston Hughes were both major contributors to literature and society. Their respective writings were influenced by the people, culture and movements during this time. American Modernism was a movement in literature between the years of 1910 and 1940. It was influenced by a trend in society due to technological and industrial development. It was a time of revival, style and revolting against tradition. Many writers during this time …show more content…
Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most known and highly respected writers of this time. He was known for writing fictional writings while commemorating and evaluating society. He also incorporated allusions, symbolism and history. He made sure that his styles of society were exaggerated into his text. His empirical attribute to his writings made them innocent and admirable. He believed that writers should immerse themselves into society to truly comprehend and transfer their experiences into their writings (Barbour 104). Fitzgerald was most famous for the 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. The Great Gatsby portrays the 1920s as having deteriorated social and moral values. He depicts a greedy, blithe society of wealth. Jay Gatsby, the main character, was ashamed of his poor past and hid it through his new self-made wealth, as were many Americans during the twenties. His goal in life was to transform money into love with his long awaited lover, Daisy Buchanan. She was a woman of sophistication who like many others, were corrupted with money. Throughout the book Fitzgerald interlocked two worlds: modern history and a world of anarchy. He introduced a society of careless wealth and one of poverty-those who lived in the Valley of Ashes. He makes it clear that even though many Americans were living the American dream they were just hiding behind the shattered, confused economy (Barbour 107, 109). Fitzgerald often incorporated himself in his writings. Gatsby portrayed a figure of him …show more content…
The Harlem Renaissance was an African American movement that expressed their own creative beliefs through writing. It resulted from social and economic changes that lead to racial pride. Music, poetry, drama, fiction, and theatre were all contributions that assisted in the influence of black culture (Barbour 127). The writing in the Harlem renaissance was greatly influenced by World War I. During the war, blacks fought alongside whites for the same reason: safety and freedom of democracy. Writings were primarily of confusion because blacks thought they fought for freedom, which faltered the status of their life in America (Barbour 130). In the war they were fighting for their country but back home they were fighting against their country. Writing in Harlem was more sophisticated than in other parts of the north because the upper-middle class whites influenced it. Langston Hughes was a key contributor to the Harlem Renaissance. He was influenced by life in Harlem. He would spend endless hours in jazz clubs listening to the rhythms of the music and ultimately led his poems to become a jazzy style. Langston Hughes shaped literature and politics by condemning racism and celebrating life. Most of his poems were lyrical and controversially political. They focused on the lives of the working class and how their rights were confined compared to those of white people. His poems ranged from culture to life to

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