The Great Gatsby Context Essay

Its originality and encouraged future submissions Commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant In the Infantry and assigned to Camp Sheridan In Alabama where he met, at a country club, and fell In love with Zelda Assayer (OFFS was never deployed) Zelda Assayer: daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court Justice and 'the golden girl', In Fitzgerald terms, of Montgomery youth society upon discharge he moved to NYC to launch a career in advertising, to try and become rich enough to convince Zelda to marry him (he lived in a single room on Manhattans west side) Zelda accepted his marriage raptors, but after some time and despite working at an advertising firm and writing short stories, he was unable to convince her that he would be able to support her, leading her to break off the engagement 1919: the revision of The Romantic Egoist, a semi-autobiographical of his Princeton years, This Side of Paradise was accepted by Scribner's; leading to OFFS and Azalea's engagement to resume Frances Scott 'Scottie' Fitzgerald, their daughter and only child, was born in October 1921 The Jazz Age' (a nuance coined by OFFS) was the most influential decade for OFFS, notably his excursions o Europe, particularly to Paris and the French Riviera; became friends with the Parisian expatriate Americans, notably Ernest Hemingway (who deemed Zelda 'insane' and claimed she 'encouraged her husband to drink so as to distract [him] from his work on his novel') Only Offs first novel sold well enough to support the couple's decadent 'celebrity lifestyle' in NYC; Azalea's medical bills (she was diagnosed with schizophrenia in '30) and Off's financial troubles lead to being in constant debt from his literary agent, Harold Boer Zelda was hospitalized in Maryland in 32, OFFS ivied here working on a book which was supposedly based on 'Fitzgerald problems with his wife, the corrosive effects of wealth and a decadent lifestyle, his own egoism and self-confidence, and his continuing alcoholism' Zelda died In '48 In a fire at the Highland Mental Hospital in North Carolina OFFS had been an alcoholic since his college days, becoming notorious In the ass for heavy drinking. He Is also suspected of having had tuberculosis; In the late ass he had two heart attacks, the last of which was fatal Among the attendants at a violation held at a funeral home was Dorothy Parker, who reportedly cried and murmured 'the poor son-of-a-blotch,' a line from Jay Gatsby funeral; his body was transported to Maryland and his funeral was attended by 20/30 In Bethesda OFFS was a member of 'the Lost Generation' as was T. S.

Eliot, Gertrude Stein and Ernest Hemingway- young people who came out of World War I disillusioned and cynical about the world, mainly living in Paris and writing novels and snort stories expressing their resentment towards the materialism and individualism that was rampant during this era The American Dream and American Values National ethos of the USA, a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work; James Tortuous Adams in 1931, 'life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement' regardless of social class or circumstances of birth For many immigrants, the Statue of Liberty was their first view of the United States, signifying new opportunities in life. The statue is an iconic symbol of the American Dream Jay Gatsby death mirrors the

American Dream's demise, reflecting the pessimism of modern-day Americans It has been attributed to the developing cohesion in American culture, but also been blamed for inflated expectations The 'Jazz Age' and the 'Roaring Twenties' The Jazz Age ended with the Great Depression, like the Roaring Twenties, The birth of jazz music is often credited to African Americans, but expanded and over time was modified to become socially acceptable to middle-class white Americans. Even though the Jazz movement was taken over by the middle class white population, it facilitated the mesh of African American traditions and ideals with the white middle lass society.

Cities like New York and Chicago were cultural centre for Jazz, and especially for African American artists Jazz was part of youth rebellion in the 'ass going hand-in-hand with fads like bold fashion statements (I. E. Flappers) and fashionable dances (I. E. The Charleston) With the women's suffrage at its peak in the sass and the entrance of the flapper women, Jazz was not immune to these new ideals, as they began to make a statement within society. With women now taking part in the work force after the end of the First World War there were many more possibilities for women in terms of social life and entertainment. Ideas like equality and free sexuality were very popular during the time and women seemed to capitalize during this period (as artists also) The 'Roaring Twenties' were a period of sustained economic prosperity.

French speakers called it the 'AnnГ©sees follies' ('Crazy Years') emphasizing the era's social, artistic, and cultural dynamism- Jazz music blossomed, the flapper redefined modern womanhood, and Art Deco peaked Economically, the era saw the large-scale diffusion and use of automobiles, telephones, motion pictures, and electricity, unprecedented industrial growth, accelerated consumer demand and aspirations, and significant changes in lifestyle and culture The media focused on celebrities, especially sports heroes and movie stars, as cities rooted for their home team and filled the new palatial cinemas and gigantic stadiums. In most major countries women were given the right to vote for the first time For the first time, more Americans lived in cities than in small towns or rural areas. New York and Chicago vied in building skyscrapers, and New York pulled ahead with the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building.

The finance and insurance industries doubled and tripled in size Social Class and Nouveau Richer The middle class in the United States came into its own in the sass with consumer culture offering middle class Americans the ability to flaunt their newfound wealth with brand-name machinery, electrical appliances, cars, packaged foods and year- round fruits and vegetables. The rise of the middle class was pronounced enough to provoke strident social criticism trot essayists, such as H. L. Mencken and t novelist Sinclair Lewis, whose 1922 book 'Bait' excoriated what Lewis saw as the conformity, materialism and hollowness of the middle class. Social status is defined in relation to wealth, and the power granted by the wealth. Hence, the upper, ruling classes have legitimated '... Heir rule with claims of status and honor and moral superiority. ' Ruling classes make claims in defense of the ascribed superiority of wealth inherited through 'blood ... And the concept of proper breeding. ' The Nouveau richer man and woman are Juxtaposed against the people of the Old Money social class; and with trans-generational, inherited wealth, in order to highlight the cultural, value system and societal differences, between the two social groups within he class. Old Family ties, as traditional claims of status, are not found in the nouveau riches, which challenges and ultimately redefines social traditions and values such as the institution of debutantes and their debut to society.

As seen through the rise in the number of debutantes, the social value of the debut has since shifted from the 'family's elite social standing and long family traditions' to 'a symbolic value as an element of upper-class life style. ' This transition allows for high social standing to be established by the nouveau richer through the institution of the but. Social integration of these elite sects is extremely slow and sluggish, which prolongs and strengthens stereotypes. This rate of integration makes it more likely that the nouveau riches will 'retain identification with the traditional... Group of origin; this is the basis for division between the groups.

Furthermore, the isolation that minority nouveau riches experience within their own class leads them 'to prioritize issues of radical Justice, civil liberties, and religious tolerance over pure economic self-interest' Often referred to as parvenu, members of the nouveau richer re often discriminated against by the 'Old Money' sects of society since they 'lack the proper pedigree. ' These newcomers to economic freedom are subject to even greater scrutiny from their lack of historical prestige as seen through Dye's comments which reference the new rich as 'uncouth' and 'uncultured. ' The behavior of the nouveau richer is often satirized by American society by 'implying that stereotyped, rather than real, behavior patterns are copied. ' Many people have made claims to the inferiority of those with new money as compared to those with old money.

Many have made claims that nouveau riches 'lack political and cultural sophistication' and others make comparisons saying that the old rich are 'more sophisticated than the less cosmopolitan nouveau These assumptions further perpetuate the differences between the two and lead to even further stereotypes and have lasted for well over a century. In the sass, Mrs.. Jerome Napoleon Bonaparte protested that 'the nouveau richer... Is making places like Palm Beach no more exclusive than Coney Island. Newport, the last stronghold of the elite, has the moneyed intruder at the gates.... Undesirables are penetrating everywhere. ' The Ivy League levy League' is sometimes used as a way of referring to an elite class. Novels and memoirs attest this sense, as a social elite; to some degree independent of the actual schools.

The phrase League historically has been perceived as connected not only with academic excellence, but also with social elitism. The Ivy League has sometimes been associated with the WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant [male]) community. Phrases such as 'law League snobbery' are ubiquitous in nonfiction and fiction writing of the twentieth century. Advertising and the Mass Market In the early sass, the first radio stations were established by radio equipment manufacturers and retailers who offered programs in order to sell more radios to consumers. As time passed, many non-profit organizations followed suit in setting up their own radio stations, and included: schools, clubs and civic groups.

When the practice of sponsoring programs was popularized, each individual radio program was usually sponsored by a single business in exchange for a brief mention of the business' name at the beginning and end of the sponsored shows. However, radio station owners soon realized they could earn more money by selling sponsorship rights in small time allocations to multiple businesses throughout their radio taxation's broadcasts, rather than selling the sponsorship rights to single businesses per show. Mass marketing has its origins in the sass with the inception of mass radio use. This gave corporations an opportunity to appeal to a wide variety of potential customers.

Due to this, variety marketing had to be changed in order to persuade a wide audience with different needs into buying the same thing. The Prohibition and Organized Crime Prohibition: national ban on the sale, production, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1919 to 1933; the dry movement was led by rural Protestants in both lattice parties but Anti-prohibitionists ('wets') criticized the alcohol ban as an intrusion of mainly rural Protestant ideals on a central aspect of urban, immigrant and Catholic everyday life Speakeasies became popular and numerous and led to the rise of gangsters such as Lucky Lucian, AAA Capons, Meyer Lanky etc. They commonly operated with connections to organized crime and liquor smuggling While the U. S.

Federal Government agents raided such establishments and arrested many of the small figures and smugglers, they rarely managed to get the big bosses; the business f running speakeasies was so lucrative that such establishments continued to flourish throughout the nation. In major cities, speakeasies could often be elaborate, offering food, live bands, and floor shows. Police were notoriously bribed by speakeasy operators to either leave them alone or at least give them advance notice of any planned raid The 1919 World Series of Baseball The 1919 World Series matched the American League champion Chicago White Sox against the National League champion Cincinnati Reds.

Although most World Series have been of the best-of-seven format, the 1919 World Series was a best-of- nine series (along withiest, 1920, and 1921). Baseball decided to try the best-of-nine format partly to increase popularity of the sport and partly to generate more revenue. The events of the series are often associated with the Black Sox Scandal, when several members of the Chicago franchise conspired with gamblers to throw (I. E. , intentionally lose) the World Series games. The 1919 World Series was the last World Series to take place without a Commissioner of Baseball in place.



Haven't Found an Essay You Want? Get Your Custom Essay Sample
For Only $13.90/page
Place An Order