THE LOST GENERATION IN AMERICAN LITERATURE: DISILLUSIONMENT, IDENTITY CRISIS, AND MODERNIST EXPRESSION
Keywords:
Keywords: Lost Generation, modernism, disillusionment, identity crisis, American literature, post-World War IAbstract
Abstract
This article examines the concept of the Lost Generation in American literature,
focusing on themes of disillusionment, identity crisis, and modernist expression. The
study analyzes how post-World War I writers responded to the trauma of war and the
collapse of traditional values, leading to new literary forms and philosophical
perspectives. The research highlights the works of key representatives such as Ernest
Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein, who captured the emotional and
psychological instability of the postwar generation. Their works reflect fragmentation,
alienation, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world. Furthermore, the
article argues that the Lost Generation played a crucial role in shaping modernist
literature by breaking away from traditional narrative structures and introducing
innovative stylistic techniques. The study also emphasizes the cultural and historical
significance of this movement in redefining American identity in the twentieth century.
References
REFERENCES
1. Fitzgerald, F. S. (1925). The great Gatsby. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
2. Hemingway, E. (1926). The sun also rises. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
3. Hemingway, E. (1952). The old man and the sea. Charles Scribner’s Sons.
4. Stein, G. (1933). The autobiography of Alice B. Toklas. Harcourt, Brace and
Company.
5. Bradbury, M. (1991). The modern American novel. Oxford University Press.
6. Cowley, M. (1973). Exile’s return: A literary odyssey of the 1920s. Viking Press.
7. Donaldson, S. (Ed.). (1996). The Cambridge companion to Hemingway.
Cambridge University Press.
8. Lehan, R. (1990). The literary modernism of F. Scott Fitzgerald. University of
Missouri Press.
9. Perkins, G., & Perkins, B. (Eds.). (2009). The American tradition in literature
(12th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
10. Bloom, H. (Ed.). (2006). F. Scott Fitzgerald. Chelsea House Publishers.
