Writers of the 1920's


The 1920's had many influenctial writers in literature. While reaching this time period it is almost certain that the names William Faulkner, Earnest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald will be found. Each of the writers has their own personal style of writing and each one of the lives has influenced what they write about to even the way they each portray their literature.

William Cuthbert Faulkner was born into a financially stable family from New Albany, Mississippi. Faulkner dropped out of high school to work in his grandfathers store. While at the store Faulkner found out he enjoyed writing. Faulkner enrolled at U of Mississsippi to persue his his passion of writting. ("William Faulkner",Discovering Authors)

Another author of great influence was Earnest Hemingway. Hemingway was a genius. He had a way of making his novels talk to his readers. Hemingway had a very well to do childhood, but as he grew older he resented his parents. Hemingway's first writing job was for the Toronto Daily Star. (Nelson32) At the star he did a lot of police and hospital beat stories. These experiences carried readily in to his novel writings. Hemingway writes in a very direct way and, his stories are very masculine orientated. Hemingway was a very effective writer. He gets his point across to his readers in a very direct way. His novels included incidences from his life that he had encountered on a daily basis. ("Earnest Hemingway", Discovering Authors)

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an incredible writer. He often uses incidences from his life in his writings. Fitzgerald fell in love with Zelda Sayre and married her. They lived all over the United States and Europe.(Eble 22)

In his writings his life with Zelda is highly portrayed. In the writingThe Basil and Duke Lee Stories there are a lot of similarities to his life. These stories are almost a diary of his life in a fictional form.(Eble 22-24) The most popular of Fitzgerald's writings is The Great Gatsby. This is because Fitzgerald's writing style had matured so much from his earlier works. The book offers great insight in to his adult life, showing how truely unhappy he was. (Eble 86-88)

Each of these writers have contributed a great deal to American literature. Faulkner, Hemingway, and Fitzgerald's lives had a great impact on their fiction. Through their writing, readers can begin to understand the happenings of that decade. The twenties are always going to be remembered through their works.


Works Cited

"Ernest Hemingway" Discovering Authors, Gale Research, Inc., 1993

"William Faulkner" Discovering Authors, Gale Research, Inc.,1993

"F. Scott Fitzgerald" Discovering Authors, Gale Research, inc.,1993

Eble, Kenneth F. Scott Fitzgerald. Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1977

Nelson, Gerald B. and Glory Jones. Hemingway: Life and Works. New York: Facts and Files Publications, 1984.

Oates Stephen B. William Faulkner: The Man and The Artist. New York: Harper and Row Publishers, 1987.


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