Final answer:
Lost Generation writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway reflected the disillusionment and trauma of World War I in their work, critiquing the emptiness behind the economic prosperity of the 1920s.
Step-by-step explanation:
The major themes in the novels of Lost Generation writers reflected the disillusionment and trauma following World War I. Writers such as F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest Hemingway expressed the hopelessness and despair experienced by those who grew up during this period. Fitzgerald's novels, particularly This Side of Paradise and The Great Gatsby, illustrate the loss of faith in the American Dream and the consequences of a hedonistic lifestyle amidst the economic boom of the 1920s.
While the 1920s were marked by economic prosperity, Lost Generation writers focused on the emptiness and superficiality that came with wealth and materialism. They critiqued the middle class and sought to escape societal norms, often living as expatriates to more freely express their criticisms. Their work embodies a generation's struggle to find meaning in a post-war world, grappling with the changes that came with modernity and consumerism.