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External Conflicts In F. Scott Fitzgerald's Babylon Revisited

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Using the New Historicist theoretical lens, one can examine F. Scott Fitzgerald's historical fiction "Babylon Revisited" to understand how it parallels the Great Depression and its fallout following the Jazz Age. This essay will analyze two external conflicts in the story, determine their causes, and analyze how they contribute to the outcome of the narrative. By applying the terminology and concepts from the New Historicist theory, we can gain insights into the social, economic, and cultural factors that shaped Fitzgerald's portrayal of this tumultuous period in American history. Firstly, one of the external conflicts in "Babylon Revisited" revolves around the clash between the protagonist, Charlie Wales, and his past. Charlie, once a wealthy and indulgent man, is now faced with the consequences of his past actions and the changing social and economic landscape of the Great Depression. He is haunted by memories of the excessive lifestyle he led during the Jazz Age, a period characterized by unprecedented economic prosperity and cultural decadence. Through the New Historicist lens, we can understand the Jazz Age as a form of "cultural hegemony," where the ruling class's power and dominance were reinforced through their display of wealth and indulgence (Parker 82). Charlie's past conflicts with this new reality of economic hardship and societal …show more content…

Externally, the collapse of the stock market in 1929 marked the beginning of the Great Depression, resulting in widespread unemployment, poverty, and financial instability. The excessive lifestyles of the wealthy, like Charlie, were suddenly deemed unsustainable and irresponsible in the face of such economic devastation. Fitzgerald's portrayal of Charlie's past excesses, such as his frequent visits to nightclubs and extravagant parties, can be seen as a critique of the corrupt and unequal economic system that existed during the Jazz

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