The
Lost Generation
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“Every man becomes civilized between the ages of 18 and
23. If he does not go through a civilizing experience at
that time of his life, he will not become a civilized man.
The men who went to war at 18 missed the civilizing…All
you young people who served in the war are a lost generation.
You have no respect for anything. You drink yourselves to
death.” |
--Gertrude
Stein on the American expatriate writers living in Paris
after World War I
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The Lost Generation
Lost
generation : a term used to describe a group of American writers,
notably T. S. Eliot, Ezra Pound, e.e. cummings, John Dos Passos,
William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and most importantly,
Ernest Hemingway, whom were born in the last decade of the 19th
century. These writers had in common the fact that their early
adult years were framed not so much by their American cultural
heritage as by World War I. Their psyches and their talents
were shaped by the war and by self-imposed exile from the mainstream
of American life, whether in Europe or in Greenwich Village
in New York City.
Essential
Question: Were the people of the 1920's truly the "Lost Generation"?
Process |
| In
order to answer the question, you will need to immerse yourself
in the culture of the time and get to know the main people
who influenced the decade, |
| |
•
Your group (of 4 or 50 will choose one topic from the provided
list and you will find general information that reflects
the time period.
• You will need to identify the important people in your
assigned area. Show how they contributed to the time period
through their achievements and endeavors. Also, identify
the important events in your area. How are they a reflection
of the times?
• Your group will assemble and teach this information to
the class. You will use the entire class period. Each member
of the group is responsible for a section.
• The content you present must answer the Essential Question.
You will either support or refute the idea that the young
people of the 1920s were truly the "lost generation."
• Your presentation will include a multimedia visual which
your group has created to enhance your presentation. Pay
special attention to your speech techniques. |
Topics |
| Remember
to start with the Kingston site to get the background of your
topic and find out as much as you can about the area. Also,
you need to have some background about Prohibition. Read the
information provided at the American Memory site. Additional
document links are provided and also key words are suggested
to use in order to pursue the subject. |
| Art
and Fashion, Sports, Lost Generation, Hollywood, Women |
Art
and Fashion |
Look
also at the Ads and Fads section; learn all about the dances
of the time period, the trendy fashions |
Focus
on the fashion designers, artists, sculptors, photographers,
and art patrons of the decade. You'll read about the Flapper
culture and style. Some people to be aware of in this area:
Coco Chanel, Edward Hopper, Georgia O'Keefe, Pablo Picasso,
Henri Matisse, Ray Man, Salvador Dali, Dada, Surrealism,
or Art Deco. Pay attention to musicians, such as Josephine
Baker, Noble Sissle, Sydney Bechet, and Django Reinhardt.
|
| Or
you might also investigate Dexter Gordon, James Reese Europe,
Percy Johnson (drummer), and Bud Powell. |
Sports |
Look
also at the sports artifacts, such as posters and other
memorabilia. |
Focus
on the popular sports of the period, including baseball,
boxing, wrestling and Olympic events. In baseball, make
sure you learn about the Negro League, Babe Ruth, Paavo
Nurmi, boxing, and "Shoeless" Joe Jackson. |
| Or
you might also investigate the Paris Olympics, bullfighting
or other European sports. |
Lost
Generation |
|
This
was the phrase Gertrude Stein coined to describe the intellectuals,
poets, artists, and novelists that rejected the values of
post World War I America and relocated to Paris to live
a bohemian lifestyle. These writers and intellectuals left
their mark on history and maintain a very prominent place
in 20th century literature. Discover why they remain so
well-known by reading about F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest
Hemingway, William Faulkner, Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Gertrude
Stein, and e.e. Cummings. |
| Or
you might also investigate the Paris Olympics, bullfighting
or other European sports. |
New
Hollywood |
|
Before
the "talkies," you had the little hobo, the child stars,
the heart throb, just to mention a few of the stars. You'll
discover the big names: Charlie Chaplin, Lillian Gish,
and Rudolf Valentino.
Or
you might also investigate European film.
|
| |
Outrageous
Women |
Start
with the general links to find out who some of the most
notorious women were and what field they were in. |
The
young women of the 20's positively scandalized their elders.
They were the "New Women" - thriving on opulence and excess.
They were not afraid to speak out for their cause. You'll
read about Aimee Semple McPherson, Margaret Sanger, Nellie
Bly, Amelia Earhart, and Josephine Baker.
|
| Multimedia
Task
|
You
will assume the role of an expert in one aspect of the
Lost Generation. Working in a group of four or five, you
will then select a number of pieces as related to your
field of expertise to be presented to the Design Committee
at The St. Louis Art Museum in the form of a multimedia
PowerPoint presentation. Be sure to include video clips,
music, artwork, photographs and other artifacts of the
time period.
|
| Conclusion
|
Before
you make your presentation, your group needs to determine
whether the label "Lost Generation" fits the 1920's based
on the topic you researched. Base your decision on the
articles and information you have uncovered, the quotes
by the important people in your area of study, and your
own observations of the topic.
|
"It
was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an
age of excess and it was an age of satire."
"Echoes
of the Jazz Age" an article written by F. Scott Fitzgerald
published in Scribner's Magazine in November 1931. |
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General Resources
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Writers
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European Writers
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Americans at Home
Robert
Frost
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Audio Files
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| American
Rhetoric: Speeches Collections
Say
It Plain: A Century of Great American Speeches This
rich site includes a audio files and texts of speeches by
Booker T. Washington, Dick Gregory, and Stokeley Carmichael.
The site includes the only known recordings of Marcus Garvey
as well as Barbara Jordan's defense of the US Constitution
during the impeachment hearings of President Richard Nixon. |
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