| Exam 1 will consist of the following elements: (1) a 10-question multiple-choice section; (2) a section featuring either identification questions or a passage to explicate; (3) an essay question, usually from a choice of 2-3 questions.
This study guide provides general information about the exam. It may not cover everything. Your notes will be your best guide to studying for the exam; also, you may want to read some of the class weblogs, which have interesting interpretations of the works.
I. Works to be covered
- Fitzgerald, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair"; "Winter Dreams"; The Beautiful and Damned
- Dorothy Parker, "Resume"; (PDP 99); "Interview" (117); "News Item" (109); "Bohemia" (223); "Unfortunate Coincidence" (96)
Parker,"Such a Pretty Little Picture" 371-381; "Big Blonde" (PDP 187-210)
- Lewis, Babbitt
- Harold Lloyd, The Freshman (general knowledge)
- Selected songs: "Collegiate," "Old King Tut" (general knowledge only)
II. Terms and concepts
- Material covered in the reports (prohibition, gangster culture, the flapper, advertising, slang, etc.--general knowledge)
- Backgrounds for Fitzgerald's work
- Backgrounds for Sinclair Lewis's work
- Information from our visit to the MASC
- Other information from lectures, including romanticism and naturalism (see PowerPoints on elearning.wsu.edu)
- Basic historical background (Prohibition, World War I, Ford cars, etc.)
III. Sample essay questions. (Note: These are samples; there is no guarantee that these will be on the exam.)
- Compare and contrast Gloria Gilbert Patch with any one of Dorothy Parker's heroines.
- To what extent is the 1920s a time when language changes? What are some of these changes, and what does their use say abou the culture?
- In what ways does The Freshman reflect social changes occurring during the 1920s?
- Discuss Fitzgerald's and Lewis's portrayal of the American businessman in "Winter Dreams" and Babbitt. In what ways do the women in these works contribute to the portrayal of these characters' inner lives?
- Near the end of Babbitt, Babbitt confesses that he's hardly ever done anything he wanted to, suggesting that his life is a failure; Anthony Patch, on the other hand, sees his life as a success. How is success and failure defined in these stories? In 1920s culture?
- Popular culture--music, movies, and advertising, especially--plays an important role in the works we've read so far. Choosing any two works, discuss the function of popular culture in establishing its themes.
- Several of the works we've read have dealt directly or indirectly with issues of class, including defining what constitutes a true aristocracy. Choosing any two works, discuss the ways in which they present issues of class.
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