Final answer:
The Lost Generation writers were influenced by European literary classics, which provided them with new literary techniques and perspectives to express their disillusionment with American society. Works by authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway illustrate the impact of these influences through their critical examination of the American Dream and exploration of expatriate life.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Lost Generation refers to a group of American writers, including figures such as Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, and Edith Wharton, who came of age during World War I and subsequently expressed their disillusionment with contemporary American society in their work. After the war, many of these writers, feeling alienated and dissatisfied with American values, moved to Europe, particularly Paris, as expatriates to immerse themselves in the rich cultural and literary heritage of the old continent.
European literary classics influenced the Lost Generation writers by providing alternative narratives and literary techniques, which gave these writers new ways to express their critique of American society. For example, their exposure to different genres, like realism and naturalism, and the rich tradition of European literature, may have influenced their own works to reflect a more cynical view of the American Dream, critique middle-class materialism, and explore complex human emotions and moral ambiguities. The examples of disillusionment in American culture can be seen in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, which explores the hollow pursuit of wealth and happiness, and in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises, depicting the hedonistic lifestyle of expatriates in Europe searching for meaning in a post-war world.
Thus, European classics provided an array of literary devices, themes, and critical perspectives that enabled the Lost Generation to articulate their feelings of estrangement and critique of American society. Their works remain a testament to how profoundly literature can shape and reflect the sentiments of an era.