The Lost Generation: American Writers and Post-War Disillusionment
The American Novel: The “Lost Generation”
The Lost Generation refers to the group of American writers who reflected the pessimism, chaos, and confusion resulting from the First World War and the Great Depression in their work. The historical and cultural context of this generation is defined by the climate of disillusionment and confusion that followed WWI.
Frustrated with the cultural landscape of their home country, many of these authors took refuge in Europe. Their writings vividly described the futility and cruelty of the war, the excesses of the Roaring Twenties (or Jazz Age), and the severe economic depression in American society.
The moral crisis experienced by these authors fueled a literary crisis, prompting them to seek new forms of expression. These middle-class Americans embraced liberalism and radicalism, using art to challenge conventional middle-class values. They were known for their passionate engagement in political action and pushing boundaries. Key members of this influential group include:
Ernest Hemingway
Hemingway sought to break away from serene images of everyday life, replacing them with the antagonism and passions he perceived beneath the surface. His first major work, A Farewell to Arms (1928), focuses on World War I, recounting its tragedy and futility. In his book To Have and Have Not (1937), we see his obsession with action, passion, and the antihero. He also wrote the play The Fifth Column (1938) in a style of social realism. Hemingway employed a journalistic writing style in his prose and is considered a founder of that literary tradition.
John Steinbeck
Steinbeck’s style is marked by the juxtaposition of linguistic dialects representing the rich and the poor of the era. His heroes are often the poor and illiterate who struggle to articulate their own ideas. His seminal work, The Grapes of Wrath, depicts a family of poor white farmers forced to relocate during the Depression. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1962.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Francis Scott Fitzgerald was acutely aware of the false values held by the American aristocracy. His strong interest in the Jazz Age is evident throughout his writing. Some of his notable works include: The Tiger (1917), This Side of Paradise (1919), and The Beautiful and Damned (1922). His most famous work, The Great Gatsby (1925), describes the lavish lifestyle, moral decadence, and interpersonal dishonesty prevalent among the aristocracy in the 1920s. Fitzgerald successfully portrayed both the glamour and the underlying corruption of American life during this period.
John Dos Passos
Dos Passos wrote extensively about New York City, exposing its superficiality and hectic pace of life. His most important work is the novel Manhattan Transfer.
Literary Context and Social Critique
The Lost Generation perceived a sense of cultural stagnation in American literature, perhaps due to America’s focus on achieving status as the world’s primary political and military force. In contrast, Europe was seen as undergoing significant cultural and literary developments (for example, Spain’s Generation of ’27 was part of this broader movement).
The Lost Generation authors shared an intense interest in social issues, focusing sharply on contemporary American society. They reflected harshly on these social aspects, forming a political and literary movement often compared to the second generation of Romantic writers in Britain due to their shared commitment to social commentary.