Gatsby Context Flashcards
(20 cards)
What mental and physical illnesses did Fitzgerald have?
- Severe chronic alcoholism
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Sleep disorder
- Heart condition
- Probable complex partial seizures likely triggered by alcohol abuse
Did he win any awards?
No
Why was Fitzgerald kicked out of college?
Failing grades
What year was Gatsby written?
1924 to 25
What was the inspiration of Gatsby?
Inspired by the lavish parties and lifestyles he witnessed on Long Island as well as a romance he had with Geneva King
What is the legacy of the Great Gatsby?
The Great American novel
Why did Zelda refuse to marry Fitzgerald?
Because he was not rich enough and so she waited for him to publish his first novel before being with him
- class divide
What was prohibition?
The 18th amendment to the Constitution prohibited the production sale, transportation, import and export of alcohol
Why did prohibition happen?
- A response to social issues like domestic violence and child abandonment
What is the roaring 20s?
 Period of significant social, economic and political change. The US became more urban and countries wealth doubled.
What did bootleggers do?
Smuggled alcohol into America from abroad. Distillers illegally produced alcohol known as moonshine.
Was there a pay gap between men and women?
Yes, women joined the workforce in 1920s but their wages were usually lower than the men in the same jobs
When were women allowed to vote?
1920 onwards offering political freedom however this had a little impact on their lives
How did women change in the 1920s?
- started having shorter bob hairstyles more make-up and shorter skirts
- Women freely drank and smoked outside the home for the first time
What is the lost generation?
A group of American writers who came of age during World War I and established their literary reputations in the 1920s
What is the Jazz age?
Glamorous decade noted for its artistic and social development
- Dissolved in the Wall Street crash of 1929 triggering the great depression of the 1930s
What did Gatsby do that links with bootlegging?
Sold alcohol through pharmacies
What does Gatsby’s relentless pursuit of Daisy show?
The unattainable American dream
What is old money?
Money that has been inherited rather than earn holds more value than new money in the 1920s
What is New money?
Money that is earned and the family doesn’t hold long-term wealth so less valued than old money
