The Lost Generation

For the HumCore spring quarter research project, I will be exploring the post-WWI phenomena of what is known as "The Lost Generation". The artifacts that I have chosen include Ernest Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, as well as F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Some topics that I will explore include: protagonist characterization and their symbolic representation of the new generation; feminine parallels to the women's suffrage movement of the 1920s; and the impact of WWI on the characters' outlook on life. The main question I will explore is: How do the protagonists of each novel provide an explanation for the enlightenment of the generation as well as their depression?