Historical Background Flashcards
When was Gatsby set
In the ‘Roaring Twenties’ - a glamorous decade marked by cultural, artistic and social developments, but it was brought to an end by the Wall Street Crash of 1929, which triggered the Great Depression of the 1930s
What was the policy of prohibition? How did this create economic opportunities?
Alcohol was illegal, but the continued demand meant there was a lot of money to be made from bootlegging (illegally making, supplying or selling alcohol)
What happened as America recovered from WW1?
Became prosperous
How did the ‘Jazz Age’ lead to great social change for the younger generation?
The younger generation started to rebel against tradition
How did WW1 provide new experiences and freedom for women?
After WW1, there was a strong desire to try new and exciting things and to break from tradition. Flappers behaved in a way that was thought to be inappropriate by the older generation - they drank, smoked and wore revealing clothes
Why did Fitzgerald coin the term the ‘Jazz Age’?
Jazz music became popular because it was more energetic than earlier music styles
What is the American Dream? However, to what extent did people believe this?
The idea that America is a ‘and of opportunity’, where a determined and able individual can achieve anything, regardless of their social background.
After the war, many people, including Fitzgerald, began to challenge this idea and wonder if it was really possible
What group of authors was Fitzgerald a part of? What did they do?
Thought the American Dream had been reduced to the pursuit of wealth. They wrote about their concerns about the widespread materialism of the 1920s
What did Fitzgerald think about people that grew up during the war?
They emerged to find “all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken.”
Where does Fitzgerald set Gatsby? What are the real life examples of these places?
In an altered, fictional version of Long Island and Manhattan. Great Neck and Manhasset Neck become East and West Eggs, and the large landfill site at Flushing is renamed the ‘valley of ashes’.
Who lives in East Egg?
The wealthy upper classes who inherited their money
Who lives in West Egg?
Hosts ‘new money’ - people who have earned their money
What do Manhattan’s skyscrapers and luxurious hotel suites symbolise?
wealth. But it’s also filled with lonely clerks who spend all their time working, and gangsters who meet in seedy bars
What is the valley of ashes? What does it illustrate?
A wasteland which sits between the other sites (Manhattan and East/West Egg) and connects them. The valley illustrates that the excesses of wealth can’t be achieved without exploiting another part of society
