Quote:
"Hip flasks of hooch, jazz, speakeasies, bobbed hair, 'the lost generation.' The Twenties are endlessly fascinating. It was the first truly modern decade and, for better or worse, it created the model for society that all the world follows today." (from Kevin Rayburn, "Two Views of the 1920s.")
The Music
The 1920s were also known as the "Jazz Age." This was because new music (Jazz) was being played and made. Popular Jazz musicians included King Oliver, Louis Armstrong, Kid Ory, and Duke Ellington. No one had quote heard anything like it before in America. Dances were made to accompany the music - mostly to "take advantage" of the upbeat tempo's. Before Jazz became popular in America, it was considered "the devil's music" by some of the public. Some people, like Ernest Newman, "debunked Jazz" in a 1927 magazine article. Paul Whiteman, a "jazz-king" said that Jazz was "a genuine musical force." Most of the popularity of America agreed with the latter.
Other music included Broadway musicals. The 1920s were Broadway's prime years. There were over 50 musicals opening in just one season. People who went to see the musicals on Broadway paid up to $3.50 a seat. Broadway advertized their musicals and the ads lit up the streets of New York at night. The lights alone attracted people as well as the popular shows. Two examples of Broadway shows in the 1920s included "Sally" and "No, No, Nanette."
Other music included Broadway musicals. The 1920s were Broadway's prime years. There were over 50 musicals opening in just one season. People who went to see the musicals on Broadway paid up to $3.50 a seat. Broadway advertized their musicals and the ads lit up the streets of New York at night. The lights alone attracted people as well as the popular shows. Two examples of Broadway shows in the 1920s included "Sally" and "No, No, Nanette."
Literature
Reading was popular in the 1920s as more and more people became literate. Reading was done mostly in the winter, when activity was limited. Before the radio and the television, people got their facts from reading - be it magazines, newspapers, or books. Magazines were full of short stories and illustrations to entertain those reading it. There were also Children's picture books like "The Little Red Hen" and "Little Black Sambo" that were very popular among young kids.
Authors started to win Nobel Prizes for their work. Throughout the 1920s, writers from all over the world were given Nobel Prizes. People from Norway, France, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Italy, and Germany in the 1920s. The United States got their first Nobel Prize in 1930 with the help of Sinclair Lewis and his novel Babbit. Babbit "ridiculed Americans for their conformity and materialism." More important authors of the decade included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Edna St. Vincent Millay, John Dos Passos, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and Ernest Hemingway. There were also many black-America authors who revealed the richness of African-American culture.
Scott Fitzgerald was basically the one who named the 1920s the "Jazz Age." A popular novel of his was The Great Gatsby. Another was This Side of Paradise. He spoke of the negative side of the period's "gaiety and freedom." He portrayed wealthy and attractive people leading "imperiled lives in gilded surroundings." Dorothy Parker was a short story writer, poet, and essayist. Parker was known for her wit throughout her work. Authors such as Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, and Edna St. Vincent Millay met important issues head on. Some authors were so critical of American culture that they moved to Europe to get away from it all. Ernest Hemingway became the best-known expatriate author.
Authors of the 1920s brought an "outpouring of fresh and insightful writing." This made the 1920s one of the richest eras in the country's literary history.
Authors started to win Nobel Prizes for their work. Throughout the 1920s, writers from all over the world were given Nobel Prizes. People from Norway, France, Spain, Poland, Ireland, Italy, and Germany in the 1920s. The United States got their first Nobel Prize in 1930 with the help of Sinclair Lewis and his novel Babbit. Babbit "ridiculed Americans for their conformity and materialism." More important authors of the decade included F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dorothy Parker, Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, Edna St. Vincent Millay, John Dos Passos, Ezra Pound, T.S. Eliot, and Ernest Hemingway. There were also many black-America authors who revealed the richness of African-American culture.
Scott Fitzgerald was basically the one who named the 1920s the "Jazz Age." A popular novel of his was The Great Gatsby. Another was This Side of Paradise. He spoke of the negative side of the period's "gaiety and freedom." He portrayed wealthy and attractive people leading "imperiled lives in gilded surroundings." Dorothy Parker was a short story writer, poet, and essayist. Parker was known for her wit throughout her work. Authors such as Edith Wharton, Willa Cather, and Edna St. Vincent Millay met important issues head on. Some authors were so critical of American culture that they moved to Europe to get away from it all. Ernest Hemingway became the best-known expatriate author.
Authors of the 1920s brought an "outpouring of fresh and insightful writing." This made the 1920s one of the richest eras in the country's literary history.
Arts
There were two important art movements in this decade: Surrealism and Art Deco. Surrealism began after World War I. Surrealists developed techniques such as automatic drawing and painting, decalcomania, frottage, fumage, grattage, and parsemage. Andre Masson was a famous surrealist. Art Deco was a movement that affected architecture. It was famous in Europe before it hit the United States in 1928. Art Deco used materials like aluminum, stainless steel, lacquer, inlaid wood, sharkskin, and zebra skin.
Two famous American artists included Maxfield Parrish and C. Coles Phillips. Maxfield Parrish was an American painter and illustrator that was known for his paintings of androgynous nudes in fantastical settings and landscapes. His art featured dazzling colors which he achieved by several coats of oil and varnish he added to his paintings. C. Coles Phillips was known for being the illustrator for Life Magazine.
Two famous American artists included Maxfield Parrish and C. Coles Phillips. Maxfield Parrish was an American painter and illustrator that was known for his paintings of androgynous nudes in fantastical settings and landscapes. His art featured dazzling colors which he achieved by several coats of oil and varnish he added to his paintings. C. Coles Phillips was known for being the illustrator for Life Magazine.