The Great Gatsby Historical Fiction Vignette As you know, the early 1900s was a time of great social, political, and intellectual change. Immigration, women’s suffrage, prohibition, and constant efforts toward modernization rocked the nation in profound ways. We tend to learn about and demonstrate our knowledge of history in an expository way; however, in completing this assignment you will take a creative approach to understanding those events that so influenced Fitzgerald and his characters. You will write a historical fiction vignette (300-500 words). A vignette is not a fully fleshed-out story, with a complete plot cycle and developed characters; it is, rather, a brief, emotionally evocative scene. To write good historical fiction you must do two things. First, as with all fiction, you must use expressive, vivid language that appeals to many, if not all, of your reader’s senses. This means that you must carefully create a scene/ incident in a specific place and then use concrete sensory details to describe the sights, sounds, and smells of that scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters involved. Second, you must accurately portray the social climate of the time in which your story is set. This means that the way your characters speak, the references they make, the clothes they wear, and the places they go should be historically accurate. To ensure accuracy on these matters, you will need to complete a minimal amount of research. To guide you, I have created a resource—a series of picture prompts. Each image is unique in regards to subject and setting. Rubric: / 50 -Writing is descriptive and imaginative = 20 a. Narrate a sequence of events and communicate their significance to the audience. b. Locate scenes and incidents in specific places. c. Describe with concrete sensory details the sights, sounds, and smells of a scene and the specific actions, movements, gestures, and feelings of the characters; use interior monologue to depict the characters’ feelings. d. Pace the presentation of actions to accommodate temporal, spatial, and dramatic mood changes. e. Make effective use of descriptions of appearance, images, shifting perspectives, and sensory details. -Writing evokes the time period/ makes appropriate historical references = 20 -Writing adheres to conventions/ format guidelines = 10 Resources: http://local.aaca.org/bntc/slang/slang.htm = 1920’s slang PICS: 1920’s assembly line/ auto plant 1920’s Prohibition 1920’s Flapper 1920’s Women Voting 1920’s Immigrant Grocer 1920’s Ellis Island