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Title: Modern American Novel Fifth Lecture Mrs. Nouf Al-Khattabi


1
Modern American NovelFifth LectureMrs. Nouf
Al-Khattabi
2
The Writers of the Lost Generation
  • The "Lost Generation" is a term used to
    characterize a general feeling of disillusionment
    in American literture. The term is used for the
    period from the end of World War I to the
    beginning of the Great Depression, though in the
    United States it is used for the generation of
    young people who came of age during and shortly
    after World War I, alternatively known as the
    World War I Generation.

3
The Writers of the Lost Generation
  • During this time many American lost their ideals.
    At the same time America lost many fine writers.
  • The Lost Generation writers felt that America was
    not such a success story because the country was
    devoid of a cosmopolitan culture. Their solution
    to this issue was to pack up their bags and
    travel to Europes cosmopolitan cultures, such as
    Paris and London. Here they expected to find
    literary freedom and a cosmopolitan way of life.

4
The Writers of the Lost Generation
  • Why was it significant to American Culture?
  •   This temporary emigration of American talent
    into cosmopolitan cities such as Paris, is
    significant to American culture in two parts.
  • One, because it aided in the desire for a
    cosmopolitan A cosmopolitan culture (a culture
    which includes and values a variety of
    backgrounds and cultures) to be established and
    to exist in America.
  • Two, because when American Culture became more
    defined, European and other countries began to
    recognize a distinctive Democratic American
    culture.

5
F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgeraldphotographed by Carl van Vechten in 1937 F. Scott Fitzgeraldphotographed by Carl van Vechten in 1937
Born Francis Scott Key FitzgeraldSeptember 24, 1896(1896-09-24)St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S.
Died December 21, 1940 (aged 44)Hollywood, California, U.S.
Occupation novelist, short story writer, poet
Nationality American
Period 19201940
Genres Modernism
Literary movement
6
Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
  • Fitzgeralds life was like the plot of one of his
    novels. He was born to a rich family and served
    in the army as a lieutenant, but he was never
    sent to fight in Europe.
  • Throughout the twenties, he wrote an enormous
    amount of fiction which provided the money for
    many of his parties and wild-trips to Europe.
  • His fiction was popular in the twenties because
    it was modern and easy to read.
  • In 1929, the American economy collapsed starting
    the Great Depression. This happened at a time
    when Fitzgerald himself to have serious mental
    and physical health problems.

7
Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940)
  • Although Fitzgerald, like Nick Carraway in his
    novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), idolized the
    riches and glamor of the age, he was
    uncomfortable with the unrestrained materialism
    and the lack of morality that went with it, a
    kind of decadence.
  • The novel combines symbolism with psychological
    realism. Gatsby, the hero symbolizes the American
    belief that money can buy love and happiness. His
    failure makes him a tragic hero.
  • The novel is also famous for its unusual use of
    colors.

8
Ernest Hemingway Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway in 1939 Hemingway in 1939
Born July 21, 1899(1899-07-21)Oak Park, Illinois, United States
Died July 2, 1961 (aged 61)Ketchum, Idaho, United States
Nationality American
Notable award(s) Nobel Prize in Literature1954 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 1953
9
Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961)
  • Hemingway spoke for the Lost Generation as
    Fitzgerald. He drove an ambulance in World War I
    and then decided to live in Paris and become a
    writer.
  • Hemingways simple style and careful structuring
    of his fiction is famous. The aim of his style is
    to get the most out of the least. His sentence
    are usually short and simple. Sometimes, he
    repeats a key phrase for emphasize his theme. His
    language is rarely emotional. On the contrary, it
    controls emotions and holds them in.
  • By the thirties, his concentrated style began to
    lose its freshness. Part of the problem was that
    many other writers were copying his style in
    their own works.

10
Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961)
  • The Sun Also Rises (1926), is a portrait of young
    adults of the post-war era. The characters are
    young Americans living Paris. They fought for
    their country, but they are completely useless in
    peacetime. All they want to know is how to live
    in the emptiness of the world.
  • In later writings, Hemingway develops this
    emptiness to what becomes known as Nada
    (nothingness in Spanish). Nada is sometimes
    seen as the loss of hope or the inability to
    become active in the real world. At other times,
    it is the desire for sleep, or an easy death.
    Hence, Hemingways hero must always fight against
    the Nada of the world.

11
Ernest Hemingway (1898-1961)
  • Men Without Women (1927), a short collection of
    short stories, mixes psychological realism with
    symbolism. They are very easy to read. Therefore,
    readers sometimes miss their deep meanings.
  • The Old Man and the Sea (1952), Its an allegory
    of human life. This novel received the Pulitzer
    Prize in 1952. In 1954, he was awarded the Nobel
    Prize for Literature.
  • As he grew older, he felt his powers as an artist
    were failing, so in 1961, he shot himself with
    his favorite hunting gun.

12
John Dos Passos (1896-1970)
  • Like other members of the lost generation, Passos
    saw the modern, post-war world as ugly and dirty.
    According to him only art can save the world and
    put an end to destruction.
  • His first successful modern novel is Manhattan
    Transfer (1925), which describes the daily
    activities of a large group of people living in
    New York. In this novel, he has been influenced
    by the techniques of the movies. For example, he
    uses the montage technique. HOW?

13
John Dos Passos (1896-1970)
  • In the 1930s, Passos published the first volume
    of his great U.S.A. trilogy. The trilogy shows
    how individuals are part of the history of the
    age in which they live. All three books The 42nd
    Parallel, 1919, and The Big Money use the movie
    techniques to tell the history of the entire
    nation in the early twentieth century.
  • The quality of Passos literature began to decline
    after his trilogy.

14
William Faulkner William Faulkner
Faulkner in 1954, photograph by Carl Van Vechten Faulkner in 1954, photograph by Carl Van Vechten
Born William Cuthbert FalknerSeptember 25, 1897(1897-09-25)New Albany, Mississippi, USA
Died July 6, 1962 (aged 64)Byhalia, Mississippi, USA
Occupation Novelist, short story writer
Genres Southern Gothic
Literary movement Modernism, Stream of consciousness
Notable award(s) Nobel Prize in Literature, 1949
15
William Faulkner (1897-1962)
  • In his works Faulkner used a small number of
    characters, who all represent the South region.
    They often reaper in later novels.
  • Faulkner shared two things with the Lost
    Generation (1) its strong dislike for the
    post-war world and (2) its belief in the value of
    art.
  • In almost all of Faulkners stories, time is
    treated in a special way. He uses the continuous
    present, style of writing. Past, present and
    future events are mixed. Hence, it is usually
    hard to read his works.
  • Faulkners description of human goodness is as
    powerful as his description of human evil. Often
    his good people are black. His characters show
    their goodness in their relationship with nature
    and their ability to love.

16
William Faulkner (1897-1962)
  • The Sound and the Fury (1929), is one of his
    modernist masterpieces. There are many
    experimental features in this novel. (1)On e
    feature is the use of limited point of view. Each
    of the characters sees reality according to
    her\his way.(2) Another feature is his special
    technique of narration where the reader is put
    into the center of the story without any
    preparation. Readers must put together facts
    together since the author does not help them.
  • Light in August (1932), is considered as another
    masterpiece. It shows how racism makes the white
    community of the South go crazy.
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