The 1920s meant a major shift in thinking about the American Dream for millions of Americans. How is this thinking reflected both in The Great Gatsby and in the literature of the Harlem Renaissance? (Be sure to answer BOTH parts of this question)

Jazz Age

Further Study Gatsby and the Jazz Age

The Great Gatsby is set against the backdrop of 1920s New York City, a period known as the “Roaring Twenties” for the exhilarating pace set by the rapidly evolving culture and technology. It was a decade of tremendous wealth in the United States following the deprivations of the First World War, and the upper-class characters of Gatsby exemplify the hedonism of the era.

Fitzgerald explores the major developments of the Roaring Twenties, including the birth of jazz, the women’s suffrage movement, economic prosperity, and the rapid growth of Manhattan as a cosmopolitan city. He mentions the many new technologies beginning to be popularized at the time such as automobiles, radio, movies, as well as the growing influence of the financial markets in New York. Several characters (including Gatsby and Nick) served in the war, an unstable period that established the country as a global economic leader, and the characters’ unstinting embrace of luxury echo the country’s rampant appetite for consumer goods during the period.

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