Final answer:
Paula McLain's 'The Paris Wife' revolves around Paris, a cultural hub for the lost generation, which included intellectuals who felt disillusioned with society after World War I. Paris attracted writers and artists including Hemingway and Fitzgerald, as they sought a different lifestyle and expressed criticism of American society in works like 'Babbitt'.
Step-by-step explanation:
In The Paris Wife, Paula McLain depicts a rich portrait of the lost generation against the backdrop of post-World War I disillusionment. The book primarily revolves around the city of Paris, which became a haven for many intellectuals and artists of the time. This group of writers and creatives, including prominent figures such as Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald, often expressed their disenchantment with society through their literary works, and many chose to live an expatriate life in Paris, which they saw as a place of freedom and possibility.
The city of Paris was drastically transformed in the second half of the nineteenth century by Baron Haussmann, laying the foundations for it to become the cultural hub that attracted the lost generation. As these intellectuals sought to escape the perceived cultural barrenness and conformism of America, indicated by works like Babbitt that satirized middle class conformity, Paris offered them a contrasting experience that fueled their creativity and critical perspectives.