It is not simply the vast array of famous titles. The BBC’s Culture website suggested that 1925 might be “ the greatest year for books ever,” and with good reason. The culture of the time reflected all of those contradictory tendencies. The literature reflected both a booming economy, whose fruits were unevenly distributed, and the lingering upheaval and tragedy of World War I.
Famous books that are movies full#
The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing. But before this could happen, Congress hit a 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years. Works from 1925 were supposed to go into the public domain in 2001, after being copyrighted for 75 years. On Public Domain Day, we all have a “green light,” in keeping with the Gatsby theme, to use one more year of that rich cultural past, without permission or fee. A culture is a continuing conversation between present and past. It also encapsulates what the public domain is all about. This is not just the famous last line from The Great Gatsby. Dalloway, Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time, and Franz Kafka’s The Trial (in the original German), silent films featuring Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton, and music ranging from the jazz standard Sweet Georgia Brown to songs by Gertrude “Ma” Rainey, W.C. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. On January 1, 2021, copyrighted works from 1925 will enter the US public domain, 1 where they will be free for all to use and build upon.
Januis Public Domain Day: Works from 1925 are open to all! By Jennifer Jenkins, Director of Duke's Center for the Study of the Public Domain