lost-generation

TheLostGenerationStructure•Definition•Original•Background•Representativewriters&writings•FeatureDefinition•LostGenerationisaliteratureschooloriginalinAmericaninthetwentiethcentury.•LostGenerationreferstothegenerationaftertheWorldWarI.•Meanwhile,italsoreferstotheyoungwriterswholivedasexpatriatesinWesternEuropeforashorttime.•The“LostGeneration”isatermusedtocharacterizeageneralfeelingofdisillusionment(幻想破灭）ofAmericanliterarynotableswholivedinEurope,mostnotablyParis,aftertheFirstWorldWar.Original•Duringthe1920'sagroupofwritersknownasTheLostGenerationgainedpopularity.ThetermthelostgenerationwascoinedbyGertrudeSteinwhoisrumoredtohaveheardherauto-mechanicwhileinFrancetohavesaidthathisyoungworkerswere,unegenerationperdue.Thisreferedtotheyoungworkers'poorauto-mechanicrepairskills.GertrudeSteinwouldtakethisphraseanduseittodescribethepeopleofthe1920'swhorejectedAmericanpostWorldWarIvalues.Original•ErnestHemingway,perhapstheleadingliteraryfigureofthedecade,wouldtakeStein'sphrase,anduseitasanepigraphforhisfirstnovel,TheSunAlsoRises.•Becauseofthisnovel'spopularity,theterm,TheLostGenerationistheenduringtermthathasstayedassociatedwithwritersofthe1920's.Background•TheLostGenerationwasagroupofrebelliousyouthappearedinAmericaaftertheFirstWorldWar.The1920swasanageofProhibition.Alcoholicbeverageswereoutlawedbyaconstitutionalamendment.However,youngpeoplecheerfullyevadedthelawinthousandsof“speakeasies”(illegalbars).Theyplayedjazz,tookdrugsandbravelydenunciatedthePuritanmoralityandthesocialconvention.Atthesametime,alotofworksappearedtoreflecttheseyoungmen’sdepressionandsademotion.Theyseemedtolosetheirdirectionsforthefuture.•Actually,theyoungpeople’srebellionwasinevitable.ItmustberememberedthattherevoltwasnotconfinedwithintheUnitedStates,butaffectedtheentireWesternworldastheresultoftheaftermathofthefirstseriouswarinacentury.Althoughthegovernmentwasreluctanttoadmit,theUnitedStateswasnotisolatedfromtheoutsideworldanymore.TheOctoberRevolutionquicklysweptacrossallovertheworld,andexposedtheinherentcontradictionofcapitalism.Theboomingoftheindustrymadethetraditionalvalueoutofworkatthattime.Background•Thewaractedasadirectblastingfuse.Theyoungpeople’srevoltstartedwiththeWorldWarI.Atthebeginningofthewar,peoplewerestillidealistictowardsthewarwiththetypicalAmericanadventurousness.BythestrenuousjingoismTheodoreRoosevelt’senhancement,theyoungmenbegantoenlistunderforeignflags.Atthesametime,allthemediasuchasradios,televisionsandnewspaperspropagatedtheoptimismatthefront.Moreover,thegovernmenttrieditsbesttopersuadetheyouthtojoin“thegloriouswar”underthesloganof“democracy”throughwhichtheycouldrealizetheirpersonalvalue.ThustheyoungmenofcollegeagewhoknewlittleaboutmodernwarfaretookpartintheEuropeanconflictswiththeidealisticdreamagainstwarandtheexcitementofthemilitaryadventure.However,afterwitnessingthemassacreofhumanbeingandtastingthecrueltyofmodernwarfare,theyoungmenbegantorealizethatthewarwasnottheonetheythoughtbefore.Theyfeltcheatedbythegovernment.Thisturningofmindmadethemangry.Background•Afterbeingfedupwiththepainsofthewar,alotofsoldiersreturnedhome.However,itwasdespairedtoreturntoahometowntotallyuntouchedbythewarsandtheyfoundtheiroldjobshadbeentakenbythosewhodidnotjoininthewar.Becauseoftherecessionofeconomy,theycouldnotfindanewjob.Atthesametime,thesmallvillagestheylivedinwereuncomfortabletothem.Theyfoundthatthecitizensstilltalkedaboutthewar,whichmadethemguiltyfortwoorthreeyears.Representativewriters•WilliamFaulkner威廉·福克纳•ErnestHemingway欧内斯特·海明威F.ScottFitzgerald斯科特·菲茨杰拉德(July21,1899–July2,1961)Notableawards:PulitzerPrizeforFiction(1953)NobelPrizeinLiterature(1954)ErnestHemingwayAnAmericanauthorandjournalist.Hiseconomicalandunderstatedstylehadastronginfluenceon20th-centuryfiction,whilehislifeofadventureandhispublicimageinfluencedlatergenerations.Majorworkstennovels,tencollectionsofshortstoriesandsixworksofnon-fictionAFarewelltoArms《永别了，武器》TheSunAlsoRises《太阳照常升起》TheOldManandtheSea《老人与海》ForWhomtheBellTolls《丧钟为谁而鸣》TheGardenofEden《伊甸园》……….WilliamFaulkner威廉·福克纳September25,1897–July6,1962AnAmericanwriterhewrotenovels,shortstories,aplay,poetry,essaysandscreenplaysduringhiscareer.AFable（寓言）andhislastnovelTheReivers（掠夺者）(wonthePulitzerPrizeforFiction)AsILayDying(wontheNobelPrizeinLiterature)F.ScottFitzgerald斯科特·菲茨杰拉德September24,1896–December21,1940Mainworks:Americannovelistandshort-storywriter.Fitzgeraldisconsideredtheliteraryspokesmanofthe“jazzage”—thedecadeofthe1920sThisSideofParadise人间天堂TalesoftheJazzAge爵士时代的故事TheGreatGatsby了不起的盖茨比Writers'commonpoints•Atfirst,allofthemwerewearyoftheimperialisticwarsbutcannotfindthewayout.•Expatriationwasanothercommonpoint.ManyyoungwritershadanexperiencelivingintheEuropeancountries,especiallyinParis.•Althoughthegovernmentpronounced“recoveringtheatmospherebeforethewar”,warhadleftdeephurtinpeople’sheart.•Therefore,thewriters’self-exilebecamethewayescapingfromthereality.Features•TheLostGenerationdefinesasenseofmorallossoraimlessnessapparentinliteraryfiguresduringthe1920s.•WorldWarIseemedtohavedestroyedtheideathatifyouactedvirt