As we continue on in our study of the American dream in literature, we'll also be introduced to the Jazz Age in literature. One of the most representative literary works of the Jazz Age is American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (1925), which highlighted what some describe as the corruption of the post-WW I age as well as the growth of individualism. It is also the finest literary example of the corruption of the original American dream.
Fitzgerald is typically credited with coining the term "Jazz Age," which he used in such books as his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age. His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned (1922), also deals with the era and its effect on a young married couple.
So, what's the Jazz Age? Here are some instructive Jazz Age links:
JazzAge1920s.comMore forthcoming in future posts!
This website is dedicated to the Jazz Age music of the 1920's and to the artists who performed the music. These Jazz Age pages feature accurately researched bios of some of the lesser known personalities of the era. Mp3s are sprinkled throughout to give a flavor of the recordings of the performer and to perpetuate these wonderful tunes that have stood the test of time.
The Jazz Age: Roaring Twenties -- Digital History
The popular image of the 1920s, as a decade of prosperity and riotous living and of bootleggers and gangsters, flappers and hot jazz, flagpole sitters, and marathon dancers, is indelibly etched in the American psyche. But this image is also profoundly misleading. The 1920s was a decade of deep cultural conflict.
The Jazz Age: Music & Dancing
The musical forms that most impacted the 1910s and 20s – ragtime, blues and jazz – rose from the African-American community and are recognized as distinctly original American art forms. Originally played in saloons and bawdy houses, ragtime was a worldwide craze for years.
Prohibition in the 1920's -- Digital History
At midnight, January 16, 1920, the United States went dry; breweries, distilleries, and saloons were forced to close their doors. Led by the Anti-Saloon League and the Women's Christian Temperance Union, the dry forces had triumphed by linking Prohibition to a variety of Progressive era social causes.
Fashion History of the 1920's -- The Flapper Era
Flapper fashion embraced all things and styles modern. A fashionable flapper had short sleek hair, a shorter than average shapeless shift dress, a chest as flat as a board, wore make up and applied it in public, smoked with a long cigarette holder, exposed her limbs and epitomized the spirit of a reckless rebel who danced the nights away in the Jazz Age.
This is relay interesting. I looked at some of these sites. One of the neat things about jazz music it that there are so many different types. I just saw the princess and the frog (which was a great movie... disney still has it in it to make timeless movies) and it gave the New Orleans version of jazz/swing. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recommendation for The Princess and the Frog. Penelope is right: There are many different types of Jazz -- ragtime, hot jazz (Louis Armstrong, et al), big band (Count Bassie, Glen Miller, et al), swing (Artie Shaw, Benny Goodman et al), bebop, cool jazz, jazz fusion, experimental jazz, etc.
ReplyDeleteWarm 98 (ugh) actually has a pretty decent jazz program on Saturday nights. They play a range, but it's mainly cool jazz. And 89.3 WMKV (a great but relatively unknown station) has a number of excellent swing, big band and other jazz programs through the week. Check their website for schedules. And WVXU has a piano jazz program on Sunday nights at 11:00 pm preceded by "Jazz with OT" at 9:00 pm -- highly recommended.