1925: Writings That Shaped Modern America

About this course:

In this course, we explore three strikingly different novels and a groundbreaking anthology—each celebrating its centennial—that together illuminate the complexities of America in the Jazz Age. Our readings include F. Scott Fitzgerald’s haunting The Great Gatsby, Willa Cather’s introspective The Professor’s House, and Anita Loos’s sparkling Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. The fourth work is The New Negro, a landmark anthology that captures the intellectual and artistic spirit of the Harlem Renaissance. We read selected sections, including early poetry by Langston Hughes, to better understand the cultural transformation emerging in 1925. These works were considered significant upon publication, and each reveals a distinct facet of the American experience during a time of dramatic cultural and political change.