This timeline was created to give The Great Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald a historical context. During the Roaring Twenties, the decade when The Great Gatsby was published, there were many social and political changes that would drastically alter America's image as a country forever, especially on the urban east coast. Barriers were being broken, precedents were being set, and everything that was happening would undoubtedly have an effect on the literature produced in that period. The Great Gatsby, is of course no exception, thus we made our timeline.
The significance of the events of the 1920s applies to many different parts of the novel. The gaining of women's suffrage in 1920 allowed and empowered women to be more independent and bold. Daisy and Myrtle's characters are examples of what new personalities were evolving in the female population. Another example of a significant event is the economic prosperity indicated by Henry Ford's record sales of 15 million Model Ts. This milestone defined the American dream even more clearly for families, and made them desire wealth and money, further reflecting the ideas in the novel. Finally, Ernest Hemingway’s publishing of the book The Sun Also Rises, and subsequent coining of the phrase, “Lost Generation” is significant because it demonstrated the first insight into disillusionment in our society. Fitzgerald is undoubtedly an author considered as one of the “lost generation” and the themes expressed in his work have significant parallels to other philosophies of the “Lost Generation”.
Works Cited
"The 1920's." Kidsnewsroom.org: providing children with a safe, kid-friendly Internet site. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://www.kidsnewsroom.org/elmer/infoCentral/frameset/decade/1920.htm>.
"American Cultural History - Decade 1920-1929." Lone Star College-Kingwood Library Home Page. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade20.html>.
"F. Scott Fitzgerald." Www.kirjasto.sci.fi. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/fsfitzg.htm>.
"Harlem 1900-1940: Schomburg Exhibit Timeline." School of Information - University of Michigan: The iSchool at Michigan. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://www.si.umich.edu/CHICO/Harlem/timex/timeline.html>.
"Harlem Renaissance WC." Assumption College: A Catholic College founded by the Augustinians of the Assumption. 28 Jan. 2009 <http://www.assumption.edu/users/mcclymer/His130/P-H/Harlem2/>.