Ernest hemingway the writer of the lost generation course work


 The situation in society and the periodization of literature



Yüklə 0,61 Mb.
Pdf görüntüsü
səhifə14/16
tarix16.02.2023
ölçüsü0,61 Mb.
#100866
1   ...   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16
ERNEST HEMINGWAY THE WRITER OF THE LOST GENERATION

 
 2.5. The situation in society and the periodization of literature 
Before the Second World War, the history of the United States was 
determined by the following events: the victory in the Spanish-American War of 
1899 and participation in the First World War, industrial riot, industrialization, 
which led to the appearance of a tram, William Ford’s factories, which became a 
leader in engineering, the Panama Canal and the final settlement of the territories, 


37 
namely, Alaska and California. In addition, one of the main events in the history 
was the Great Depression of 1929, the New Economic Policy of Franklin 
Roosevelt, as a result the United States became the leading world power by the 
beginning of the Second World War.
People's discontent and the rise of the labor movement contributed to 
development of proletarian literature and manifested themselves in sympathy for 
the ideas of socialism. This was reflected in the work of Sinclair Lewis, Sherwood 
Anderson, Eugene O'Neill, and Carl Sandberg. In 1935 the anthology called 
«Proletarian literature in the United States» was published. Its authors were 63 
writers. Among them were John Dos Passos, Erskine Caldwell, Clifford Odets, 
literary critic Malcolm Cowley. 
18
The theme of the «American dream» has changed a lot in the US literature, 
which clearly sounded in the literature of 19th century and was further developed 
in the literature of the 20th century. Now optimistic belief in the prosperity of 
America and the happiness granted wealth was questioned. The theme of the 
«American Dream» transformed into the theme of «American tragedy». «An 
American tragedy» is the so-called Theodor Dreiser's most famous novel. 
The gloomy atmosphere of America's economic crisis is transmitted in the 
works of John Steinbeck (1902-1968), especially in the story «Of Mice and Men» 
(1937), and in the novel called «The Grapes of Wrath» (1939). In this work is told 
about the working family of Jowd, crossing America in search of earnings. The 
novel is based on facts, collected by the writer in acquaintance with the life of 
seasonal workers. The viability of the book provoked a contradictory reaction: in 
some states it has been banned and burned. In the year 1940 Steinbeck was 
awarded for the novel «The Grapes of Wrath» Pulitzer Prize. 
The literature of this period is divided into 3 periods: 
1) 1890-1900-ies. - The dominance of positivism, the strong influence of late 
romanticism; 
18
Green, Nancy L. 
"Expatriation, Expatriates, and Expats
: The American Transformation of a Concept." 
Chicago 
Journals 
114.2 (2009): 307-28. The University of Chicago Press. Web. 12 Mar. 2012


38 
2) from the late 1910s to the 1930s - American literature solves the issue of 
individual skill, the romantic conflict of culture and civilization is widespread; 
3) 1930's. - Lyrical and epic (naturalistic technique and a romantic idea of a 
new type of individualism) are reconciled. Observing the politicization of literature 
in connection with the economic crisis, civil wars, and the threat of fascism; 
The 30s were marked by a rapid labor movement. Under the influence of 
these events, American writers intensify criticism of the capitalist order. Among 
them were Thomas Wolfe and John Steinbeck
4) the end of the 30-ies - until 1945. In these years, many American writers 
are included in the struggle against Hitlerism. Hemingway, Sinclair and others 
publish anti-fascist works; 
5) post-war years (after 1945); 
The post-war period is characterized by a period of the Cold War. It includes 
works by Alexander Saxton, Shirley Graham, Lloyd Brown, William Saroyan, 
William Faulkner. 
The search for new ways in literature went along different paths: 
1) in an in-depth study of the human psyche (F. Scott Fitzgerald); 
2) at the level of a formal experiment; 
3) in studying the laws of the new society (William Faulkner); 
4) outside of America, in the flight of man from civilization (Ernest 
Hemingway); 
After World War II, there is a certain decline in the development of 
literature, but this does not apply to poetry and drama, where the works of the 
poets Robert Lowell and Alan Ginsberg, Gregory Corso and Lawrence Ferlingetti, 
playwrights Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee have received 
worldwide fame. 
In the postwar years, the anti-racist theme is deepening. This is evidenced by 
Lengston Hughes' poetry and prose, John Killens' novels («Youngblood», «And 
Then We Heard the Thunder»), James Baldwin's journalism, and Lorraine 


39 
Hensberry's drama. One of the brightest representatives of Negro art was Richard 
Wright («Native Son»). 
Increasingly, literature is being created «on demand» by the ruling circles of 
America. The novels of L. Nyson, L. Staling and others, which were portrayed in 
the heroic halo of the actions of American troops in the years of World War I, are 
published in a huge number of books on the book market. 
In the years of World War II, the ruling circles of the United States managed 
to subdue many writers. And for the first time on the same scale, US literature was 
placed at the service of government propaganda. As many critics of the time have 
noted, this process marked a disastrous movement backward in the development of 
US literature, which was vividly confirmed in the post-war history of the country. 


40 

Yüklə 0,61 Mb.

Dostları ilə paylaş:
1   ...   8   9   10   11   12   13   14   15   16




Verilənlər bazası müəlliflik hüququ ilə müdafiə olunur ©genderi.org 2024
rəhbərliyinə müraciət

    Ana səhifə