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Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-20-2011
Abstract
F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby and Toni Morrison's JAZZ both tell the story of the American 1920s, but from opposite points of view. Fitzgerald and Morrison offer two compelling narratives of the societal shift that took place in post-World War 1-era America, but although the accounts share the same general topic and historical era, it is otherwise difficult to reconcile the two American portraits that have been painted. It is as though the two authors are giving a description of the same coin, but one describes the front and the other describes the back. To the white population this decade was the Jazz Age, a time of disillusioned self-indulgence. But to the black community it was the Harlem Renaissance, a time of discovery and of the rebirth of the African-American identity.
Recommended Citation
van der Graaff, Sally, "Gatsby and JAZZ: One Coin, Two Sides" (2011). 2011 Awards for Excellence in Student Research & Creative Activity - Documents. 3.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/lib_awards_2011_docs/3
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Peer-Reviewed
Comments
This paper was a recipient of the 2011 Booth Library Awards for Excellence in Student Research and Creative Activity.