American Life in the “Roaring Twenties,” 1919–1929
G. Developing Historical Skills
Understanding Cultural Developments in Historical Context
The first part of this chapter describes the major social and economic changes of the 1920s. The second part describes the cultural developments that also occurred in the 1920s. Since the artists, writers, and others who produced the culture and ideas of the period were living amidst these very same social changes, your knowledge of the historical context can help you understand why they created the kind of works they did.
Answer the following questions:
1. In what ways were the movies, for all their glamour, similar to the automobile industry as developed by Henry Ford?
2. How did new technological and economic innovations like the automobile (pp. 781–785) and social changes like urbanization help bring about the cultural liberation of women?
3. In what ways did the novels of F. Scott Fitzgerald (pp.792–793) or musical developments like jazz (pp. 790–791) especially appeal to people living amid the social and economic changes of the 1920s? Did these cultural developments simply mirror existing politics and society, or were they in some ways a challenge to them?
4. Why were writers like H. L. Mencken, Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood Anderson, and others (pp.792–793) so harshly critical of American middle-class and small-town life in their work? Why did such writers strike a popular chord in the 1920s?
You May Also Find These Documents Helpful
-
3. Analyze the social, economic and political changes and continuities facing women between 1750 and 1914 in the industrialized world.…
- 386 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
In 1920-192, 800,000 people came about 2/3 of them were from southern and eastern Europe.…
- 1588 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
The 1920s were a period of tension between new and changing attitudes on the one hand and traditional values and nostalgia on the other. What led to the tension between old and new AND in what ways was the tension manifested?…
- 1511 Words
- 7 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Comparing how life is like in this present day to back in the 1920s, it's easy to see how society has changed; the ways and standards of the people back then have changed predominately. The economy was booming and with World War I taking place, this time period had an affect on the young people of its decade. An example of this would be F. Scott Fitzgerald. In his time, those who were coming of age were named "The Lost Generation". Fitzgerald himself was going through harsh growing up conditions and living with the new rise of social classes. One of his greatest works, The Great Gatsby, offers a great example to what the times and people of the 20s were all about,…
- 785 Words
- 4 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
2. How was the character of American culture affected by the social political changes of the 1920s? (Include both white ethnic groups and blacks in your discussion.)…
- 1078 Words
- 5 Pages
Good Essays -
The term ‘roaring 20's’ is an appropriate description of the 1920's in America. The popular image is of a gin-soaked, jazz-syncopated, frivolous time. During this time period, the country was going through several changes. These changes include positive and negative changes in the country. America during this time had great economic development, expanding cities, increasing luxuries, inventions; women had more rights, the entertainment industry grew and much more. People from coast to coast bought the same goods, listened to the same music, did the same dances and even used the same slang (History Channel). F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American writer and one of the main voices of the Lost Generation. Fitzgerald…
- 459 Words
- 2 Pages
Good Essays -
Before World War I the country remained culturally and psychologically rooted in the past, but in the 1920s America seemed to breakaway from these attachments and usher in the birth of modern America This dramatic break between America's past and future was shaped by the evolution of technology, sports, entertainment, and women's roles. Many of the trends that converged to make the twenties distinct had been building for years.…
- 673 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
The 1920s was a period of significant change for many Americans. After the U.S. emerged victorious from the Great War, an economic boom resonated throughout the land. A new, fervently capitalist America emerged, as the innovations and efficiencies of a new rapid age of industrialization took hold of the spirit of the people. All the while, this spirit tended to beat stronger in the hearts of some than in others; those wealthy enough to rejoice in the newly-conceived luxuries did so at length. Resultantly, what was once deemed a strong American work ethic quickly fell into a society based on partying, decadence and the pursuit of personal fulfillment. Those with less capital, however, could not partake in the nation’s newfound wealth; as the evils of a newly capitalist society served to disparage those less fortunate among the American people, a class society was born. Now, despite the evident disadvantages of such a situation, the exciting times only served to motivate and inspire a new generation of writers. An era noted for a high number of novels rated, even to this day, as among the best of the 20th century, the 1920s was a great period in the history of American literature. It is from lines of methodically conceived prose and phrasings that we have drawn much of our knowledge and understanding of the time period. Amongst a sample of the literary talent, it is notable that two such authors released books to critical acclaim in the year 1925; taking cues from the world around them, they drew on experiences with such topics as love, science, class separation and capitalism. While each novel centres on a separate facet of American lifestyle, Sinclair Lewis, through Arrowsmith, as well as F. Scott Fitzgerald, through The Great Gatsby, both successfully make use of the literary form to preserve, in their works, the ideology of the 1920s as a period of both great social change and moral decline. This is demonstrated through each novel’s…
- 3337 Words
- 14 Pages
Better Essays -
Sinclair Lewis was a prominent literary figure during the 1920s, for he wrote about the critical views of the American middle class during the controversial time of World War II. He confronted the roles of women, race, and other powerless people in the society. He acknowledged the problems of America by giving his characters and settings universality that allowed a small town to represent all of America. Sinclair Lewis was set apart from other writers due to his universal writing, concentration of critical issues, and his unstructured way of writing. He, “ Was the conscience of his generation and he could well serve as the conscience of our own. His analysis of the America of the 1920s holds true for the America of today. His prophecies have become our truths and his fears our most crucial problems,” (Sinclair Lewis). Although his writing and views were…
- 512 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays -
F. Scott Fitzgerald is famous as one of the greatest authors of the twenties. He is referred to as a member of the "Lost Generation". His books deal with the idealism and the disillusion of the post-World-War-1 decade and also with the struggle of the American society to find spiritual happiness and material wealth (Di Bacco 525). Long describes Fitzgerald as "central to the American twenties" or "historian of the golden twenties". "He names the Jazz Age" (177). In his novel The Great Gatsby Fitzgerald describes the social circumstances in the USA in the 1920s with typical representatives of in this time existing social classes in the post-war decade.…
- 3931 Words
- 16 Pages
Powerful Essays -
The USA in the 1920s is remembered as the ‘Roaring Twenties’, an age of new life, of hedonism and opportunity following the horrors the Great War. The decade is synonymous with wealth, materialism and unprecedented freedom. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby provides an insight into the exciting and prosperous lives of the American people as they embark on the limitless potential of the American Dream and therefore it conveys a picture of 1920s American society. With reference to the novel and the context of 1920s America, this analysis will consider to what extent The Great Gatsby is relevant to modern readers by drawing significant parallels between the characteristics of today’s society and the vibrant, pleasure-seeking society that the American people enjoyed in the 1920s.…
- 1327 Words
- 6 Pages
Good Essays -
During the 1920s, lots of rich people could enjoy their lives and in the 1930s, the war affected people´s lives and made them terribly tough. When the people´s lives changed, the literature also changed and reflected the people´s everyday lives with all their problems and joys.…
- 408 Words
- 2 Pages
Satisfactory Essays -
Kennedy, David, and Lizabeth Cohen. "American Life in the "Roaring Twenties"." Trans. Array The American Pageant. Sally Constable. 13th Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2006. 720-45. Print.…
- 858 Words
- 4 Pages
Good Essays -
America is forever shaped by the many generations who strive for a greater good. Sometimes the methods used to excel are in direct contrast to good. Many different influential people seek change for the country and are willing to do anything necessary in order to obtain his or her desired goal. The 1920’s, commonly referred to as the “Roaring Twenties”, were a period of time in which America thrived. Citizens were motivated by the search for both political and social change. This unique period of history was a rich source which inspired great authors to write many different forms of literature. American author F. Scott Fitzgerald is recognized for his ability to incorporate personal experiences and struggles into the influential…
- 1193 Words
- 5 Pages
Powerful Essays -
Beginning in the early 1900s, America continued to build up its nation economically, socially, and politically. The continued revolutionary movement began to lead up to one of the Nation’s high points of the century “The Roaring Twenties”. The 1920s began to test old and new values and manifested many tensions through political ideas, cultural reforms, and the advancement of rights for the common men and women.…
- 703 Words
- 3 Pages
Good Essays