Jazz Age, Modernism, and Cultural Critique: Fitzgerald, Crane, Mencken

central theme of Fitzgerald's "Echoes of the Jazz Age"

The rise, peak, and decline of the Jazz Age, blending nostalgia with social critique.

historical event symbolically ending the Jazz Age according to Fitzgerald

The 1929 stock market crash.

Fitzgerald's description of the early days of the Jazz Age

As filled with postwar energy, youth rebellion, and freedom from old values.

Fitzgerald's tone in "Echoes of the Jazz Age"

Nostalgic, ironic, and reflective.

cause of the loss of glamour in the Jazz Age according to Fitzgerald

Older generations adopting youth culture, draining it of rebellion.

Fitzgerald's view on youth in the 1920s

Youth initially led cultural change but were replaced by imitation.

metaphor Fitzgerald uses to describe the end of the Jazz Age

"A children's party taken over by the elders."

purpose of Fitzgerald's "How to Live on $36,000 a Year"

To mock his own lavish lifestyle and critique 1920s materialism.

Fitzgerald's use of irony in his financial essay

He complains about luxury spending while flaunting it.

phrase reflecting Fitzgerald's awareness of excess

"Living on borrowed time."

Fitzgerald's view on 1920s culture

It commodified individuality and mass-produced style.

what makes Fitzgerald's writing "modernist"

His self-awareness, irony, and rejection of traditional moral certainty.

Fitzgerald's view of the artistic impact of the Jazz Age

It brought a living literature born of emotional revolution.

contradiction revealed in Fitzgerald

He both glorifies and regrets his participation in the Jazz Age.

Fitzgerald's criticism in postwar culture

The loss of idealism and rise of hedonism.

Fitzgerald's view of morality in the Jazz Age

It was vague, often replaced by style or popularity.

Fitzgerald's primary literary technique

Irony and understated humor.

meaning of "echoes" of the Jazz Age

Its lingering cultural and emotional effects.

Fitzgerald's belief about the Jazz Age being worth remembering

It had lasting artistic value despite its flaws.

Fitzgerald's depiction of the public vs. private self

He showed the difference between surface glamour and internal doubt.

inspiration for Hart Crane's "Chaplinesque"

Charlie Chaplin's film The Kid.

symbolism of the kitten in "Chaplinesque"

Innocence needing protection in a cruel world.

Crane's central theme in "Chaplinesque"

The vulnerability and nobility of artistic sensitivity.

literary movement Crane is associated with

Modernism.

how Crane differs from Eliot's modernism

Crane is more hopeful and lyrical.

tone of "Chaplinesque"

Tender, ironic, and quietly defiant.

what "grail of laughter" represents in "Chaplinesque"

Finding sacredness in humble, comic acts.

Crane's view on suffering

As inevitable, but not without dignity or purpose.

poetic technique that dominates "Chaplinesque"

Lyrical imagery

A poetic technique that evokes emotional responses through vivid descriptions.

Soft irony

A subtle form of irony that conveys a gentle or humorous critique.

Poet's role

Described as an outsider who redeems pain through beauty.

Mencken's tone in 'Advice to Young Men'

Satirical and mocking.

Value of wealth according to Mencken

Wealth often trumps virtue in American society.

Conformity in Mencken's view

Portrayed as the enemy of true progress.

Mencken's opinion of aging and wisdom

People often become less wise as they age.

Use of humor by Mencken

To expose the absurdities of societal norms.

Mencken's view on 'duty'

A myth used to suppress individualism.

Function of satire in Mencken's essays

To challenge accepted beliefs through irony.

What drives innovation according to Mencken

Deviation from the norm, not obedience.

Mencken's targets in his essays

Elites, judges, moralists, and hypocrites.

Mencken on advice

Often bad and rooted in fear of originality.

Symbolism of the rope in Porter's 'Rope'

Frustration, miscommunication, and emotional disconnect.

Trigger of the argument in 'Rope'

The husband forgets coffee and buys rope instead.

Dialogue presentation in 'Rope'

Unmarked and rapid, mimicking real-life arguments.

Marriage revelation in 'Rope'

It can be emotionally unequal and fraught with resentment.

Tone of 'Rope'

Tense, bitter, and emotionally charged.

Perspective used in 'Rope'

Third-person limited, leaning toward the wife's view.

Setting effect in 'Rope'

Rural isolation intensifies their dependence and frustration.

Wife's main complaint in 'Rope'

Emotional neglect masked by thoughtless gestures.

Gender roles portrayal in 'Rope'

The wife carries emotional weight; the husband is dismissive.

Larger theme critiqued in 'Rope'

The imbalance of labor and care in domestic life.

Poetic form of Millay's poem

A Petrarchan (Italian) sonnet.

Central theme of Millay's sonnet

Separating physical desire from emotional attachment.

Shift in the poem's volta

The speaker asserts control over her feelings.

Millay's description of physical passion

As involuntary and separate from love.

Speaker's decision at the end of the poem

To walk away without regret after the encounter.

Feminist aspect of Millay's sonnet

It reclaims female desire and agency.

Speaker's tone in the sonnet

Ironic and empowered.

Millay's use of irony

To challenge expectations of romantic sentiment.

Speaker's view on the man's value

He's not worth further emotional investment.

Critique about love in the poem

That it is often romanticized and imposed on women.

Meaning of 'Salutamus'

'We who are about to die salute you' (Latin).

Classical reference in 'Salutamus'

A gladiator's salute and Shakespeare's Henry IV.

Message of 'Salutamus'

[Message not provided in the notes].

Salutamus

Fight for justice even if you won't see the outcome.

Gloomy path

The long struggle against racial injustice.

Repetition of 'must'

To stress moral obligation and determination.

Beacons to blaze out the way

The guiding actions of the present for future generations.

Brown's poetic style

Formal, intertextual, and infused with realism.

Tone of 'Salutamus'

Hopeful but grounded in struggle and sacrifice.

Brown's view on identity

As fluid, complex, and not easily defined.

Role of literature according to Brown

To challenge social norms and inspire change.

'The Talk' in Johnson's poem

A conversation preparing Black children for racism.

Conflict in Johnson's poem

Telling her son the harsh truth or inspiring hope.

Metaphor for racism in the poem

'Pageantry' - a false, staged societal role.

Strange subtleties

The irrational and hidden rules of racial prejudice.

Tone in the first stanza

Pessimistic and sorrowful.

Second stanza suggestion

Resilience, strength, and faith in justice.

Literary device structuring the poem

A pair of contrasting rhetorical questions.

'Storm the sullen fortress'

To resist oppression with boldness.

Theme dominating the poem

Motherly love in the face of systemic racism.

Johnson's emphasis on women's roles

Their strength as nurturers and moral guides.

Genre inspiring 'The Weary Blues'

Blues music.

Poetic technique mimicking blues rhythm

Syncopation and repetition.

Setting of 'The Weary Blues'

Lenox Avenue, Harlem.

Emotion dominating the poem

Melancholy and weariness.

Piano 'moaning' symbolizes

Emotional expression through music.

'I got the Weary Blues' reflects

Deep personal and racial sorrow.

Significance of dialect in the poem

It connects poetry to everyday Black life.

Hughes blending music and poetry

By using musical structure and vernacular.

Message of the poem

Art can express and transform pain.

Hughes honoring folk culture

By elevating it within high literature.

Literary device structuring Hurston's essay

Satirical imitation of the Ten Commandments.

Hurston mocking in the essay

Gender roles and advice literature.

Tone dominating 'The Ten Commandments of Charm'

Witty, ironic, and exaggerated.

Commandments reveal

The emotional labor women are expected to perform.

Ironic about the men in the essay

They're emotionally fragile but socially dominant.

'Sentimental indigestion' means

Emotional overload from excessive affection.

Hurston's portrayal of femininity

As both a performance and social burden.