Final answer:
The Lost Generation authors responded to World War I by expressing disillusionment with society and war, critiquing middle-class values, and exploring new literary forms that captured the absurdity and horror of the conflict. Many of them lived as expatriates in Europe, where they were influenced by movements like Dada and experienced a collapse of confidence in pre-war rationalist culture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Lost Generation and World War I
Authors of the Lost Generation responded to World War I with a profound sense of disillusionment and alienation from society, which was reflected in their literary works. This generation of writers, which included notable figures like Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Sinclair Lewis, Edith Wharton, and John Dos Passos, sought to express their disenchantment by critiquing the middle class and depicting the absurdity and suffering of the war. Their experiences led many to lead expatriate lives in Europe, especially in Paris, as they felt a kinship with the European literary culture and often used new literary forms influenced by movements like Dada. The disillusionment was so deep that it led to a questioning of the rational and bourgeois values that had led Europe into the devastating conflict. Personal depictions of wartime horror in various forms of literature and art underscored the misery and inhumanity, contributing to the growing criticism of the war.
Additionally, the horror and trauma of trench warfare and the loss of a generation of young men led many intellectuals to a crisis of confidence in the culture of rationality that had dominated prior to the war. This was evident in the creative output of writers and artists during the post-war period. Communities such as the Dadaists engaged in anti-art protests and performances, while others like Hemingway and Remarque captured the futility and anguish of the conflict in their novels.