by Alexandra Rodery

What is the Lost Generation?

Hunting the bohemian lifestyle and rejecting the values of American materialism, a number of poets, intellectuals, writers and artists fled to Europe in the post World War I years. Those disheartened by World War I and estranged by what they perceived as the crudeness of American culture and its strict moral repressions were labeled as the Lost Generation. Many became expatriates in their dissatisfaction and moved to London or Paris to escape the let-down of American society. Hemingway preserved Gertrude Stein’s statement “You are all a lost generation” as the epigram in The Sun Also Rises (Encyclopaedia Britannica). These individuals sought the answers to life, tended to drink excessively, had love affairs and created incredible literature.

What caused the “Lost Generation?”

Disillusionment after the war led to many people drifting morally and spiritually. The soldiers went into the war with expectations of making the world a safer place, but after many lives and much suffering, the world did not feel safer to those who gave up so much. The soldiers were disappointed; those back home were feeling the effects of the war, and no one was particularly pleased with the outcome and their current conditions. The dissatisfaction made many people question where they were, where they were going, and what it all meant. They were a “lost generation.”

Who belongs to it?

Many intellectuals, poets, artists and writers, especially F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, John Dos Passos, E.E. Cummings, T.S. Eliot, Djuna Barnes, Margaret Anderson, Sherwood Anderson, Kay Boyle, Hart Crane, Ford Maddox Ford and Zelda Fitzgerald to name a few.

What influence did it have on us?

America’s Lost Generation expatriates had discussions with European celebrated authors and the expatriates articulated their desire to admonish unsophisticated American society. During which time they advanced literary form and style in support of their discontent. Many of the authors experimented differently, but they all seemed to agree on their dedication to a new literature absent of the idealism and narrative simplicity of the previous century. The writers during this period tended to be anti-Romantic and tried to rid the world of mysterious aspects to uncover the true nature of life without the confinement of American life. The Lost Generation writers all gained prominence in 20th century literature. Their innovations challenged assumptions about writing and expression and changed the course for future generations of writers. Besides the stunning achievements of the Lost Generation authors was the explosion of small periodicals devoted to showcasing the talents of the new writers which helped promote many through the years.

Works Consulted

Abrams, M.H., A Glossary of Literary Terms. Chicago: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston Inc., 1988.

Cuddon, J.A., The Penguin Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. New York: Penguin, 1992.

Henderson, Helen, and Jay P. Penderson, eds. Twentieth-Century Literary Movements DICTIONARY. Detroit: Omnigraphics Inc., 2000.

"Lost Generation." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 31 Jan. 2008 http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9049008.

Spiller, Robert E., Willard Tharp, Thomas H. Johnson, Henry Seidel Canby, Richard M. Ludwig, and William M. Gibson, eds. Literary History of the United States: History. New York: Macmillan, 1974.

“What is the Lost Generation?” 2002. Arkansas State U. 2 February 2008. http://ok.essortment.com/whatlostgenera_nkj.htm.