15th week Fitzgerald 英美文学赏析 教学课件.ppt

This decade saw changes in lifestyle and technology that revolutionized American life in such a way that it has never been the same since. Young men and women indulge in a whirl of frenetic social excitement or dissipation fostered by the collapse of moral standards during and following World War I. Fitzgerald has become identified with the extravagant living of the Jazz Age: “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.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald He felt that aspiration and idealism defined America and its people. Men’s Fashion in 1920 Women’s Fashion in 1920 Entertainment Entertainment “The Roaring Twenties” The American Dream The American Dream is the idea held by many in the United States of America that through hard work, courage, and determination one can achieve financial and personal success. These were values held by many early European settlers, and have been passed down to subsequent generations. What the American dream has become is a question under constant discussion, and some believe that it has led to an emphasis on material wealth as a measure of success and/or happiness. Origins of the American Dream: European explorers and the Puritans—Doctrine of Election and Predestination The Declaration of Independence—life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness American Revolutionary War—promise of land ownership and investment Industrial Revolution—possibility of anyone achieving wealth the nouveau riche Individualism and self-reliance Westward expansion and the Gold Rush Immigration Prolific dime novel writer Horatio Alger, Jr. became famous for his novels that idealized the American Dream. His rags-to-riches stories glorified the notion of the down-and-out who were able to achieve wealth and success and helped entrench the Dream with the popular culture. Near the 20th century, major industrialist personalities became the new model of the A