Annotated Bibliography
The Jazz Age. Produced by National Broadcasting Company. Performed by Fred Allen. 2003.
This 60 minute DVD depicts original footage from the Jazz Age as it concentrates on the shift in moral landscape that occurred between the end of World War 1 up to the Great Crash of 1929. Narrated by Fred Allen, this documentary is part of a larger Project Twenty series that won an Emmy and Peabody award for its excellence in visual delivery. This film is accessible to students and can be a great way to illustrate American life and the momentous cultural shifts that occurred during this historic period.
Bloom, Harold. F. Scott Fitzgerald: Bloom's Modern Critical Views. New York, New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2006.
Bloom’s text on F. Scott Fitzgerald is as comprehensive as it is meticulous. For teachers who want to really understand Fitzgerald’s childhood and personal and private struggles as an adult, Bloom delivers in full. However, due to its density and often dry delivery, this text is not as suited for students as much as for adults eager to dive into the tragic life of Fitzgerald. Nevertheless, it is an interesting read and successful in its intention.
Boundless History. The Jazz Age. 2015. https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/from-the-new-era-to-the-great-depression-1920-1933-24/a-culture-of-change-187/the-jazz-age-1031-1995/ (accessed 2015).
This website offers an accessible narrative on the Jazz Age by focusing on the social and cultural dynamics that were changing during the 1920’s. The website in a larger capacity offers short textual vignettes on many other historical moments and movements in the United States. Lastly, the website offers supplementary content to further enrich a student’s understanding around the often colorful yet controversial history concerning the United States. It is designed for classroom education in mind.
Lee, A. Robert. Fitzgerald: The Promises of Life. London: Vision Press, 1989.
Robert Lee’s collection of essays in The Promises of Life may be seen as hit or miss in so far as teachers interested in teaching Fitzgerald may have trouble with Lee’s specificity of content. Essentially, Lee dissects a number of themes and symbols in Fitzgerald’s collection of work in an effort to deconstruct their respective significance with regard to Fitzgerald’s own life experiences. Although interesting and informative, this text should primarily be used by teachers interested in drawing broad thematic connections to Fitzgerald’s life and his extensive collection of fiction.
Parr, Susan Resneck. The Moral of the Story: Literature, Values and American Education. New York City, New York: Teachers College Press, 1982.
In The Moral of the Story, Susan Parr approaches several distinguished stories in literature and analyzes them through the framework of morality and their function in academia. Needless to say, I only read the section on The Great Gatsby but, nevertheless, was pleased with her commentary on Fitzgerald’s masterpiece. Parr illustrates how The Great Gatsby can be used in education to highlight the moral dichotomies and shifting values in American culture. In short, The Moral of the Story can be used by teachers interested in getting a sense for the thematic and narrative value The Great Gatsby has in the modern classroom.
Pick, Daniel. Psychoanalysis: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions). OUP Oxford Press, 2015.
Pick’s short text on psychoanalysis is part of a larger series titled “Very Short Introductions.” It effectively summarizes the basis for, history of and major dimensions of psychoanalysis. This text frames psychoanalysis as a therapeutic approach as opposed to a critical lens theory used in an academic setting. Nevertheless, Psychoanalysis: A Very Short Introduction offers teachers detail, context and a deeper understanding of psychodynamics.
Purdue University . Psychoanalytic Criticism (1930s-Present). June 2013. https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/722/04/ (accessed 2015).
Purdue Owl is a great resource for teachers interested in using psychoanalytical critical lens theory in the classroom. It offers guiding questions, strategies and approaches to framing texts, characters and other elements of fiction around critical lens theory. Furthermore, this website offers the same amount of detail for a number of other critical lens theories and literary criticisms. It was designed with teachers and students in mind and should not be overlooked if interested in better understanding and practicing critical lens theory.
Sikov, Ed. Film Studies: An Introduction (Film and Culture Series). New York City, New York: Columbia University Press, 2010.
Sikov’s introduction to film studies is an accessible text for teachers and students alike. Sikov covers basic vocabulary, concepts and approaches to analyzing a variety of film genres. Moreover, he highlights a number of techniques and strategies directors use by exemplifying a variety of benchmark films revered in film circles.
Comments: