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-Writing evokes the time period/ makes appropriate historical references = 20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