NATURALISM, MODERNISM, AND THE GREAT GATSBY by James Vineyard Sachse High School ELA Department

NATURALISM from “Naturalism in American Literature,” www. guweb2 NATURALISM from “Naturalism in American Literature,” www.guweb2.gonzaga.edu/faculty/campbell/enl413/natural.htm A subsection of Realism Humans are studied according to their surroundings Characters are lower-class, ruled by heredity, passion, and instinct Cannot exercise free will, as forces beyond character’s control limit options Frequently in urban settings

NATURALISM Themes: The “brute within” The fight for survival in an indifferent universe Nature is an indifferent force acting on human beings The forces of heredity and environment afflict humanity

NATURALISM Authors: Frank Norris Stephen Crane Jack London Edith Wharton

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS A literary technique in which the author uses narrative that reflects the thought patterns of a character Events are often disjointed, nonsensical, and non-chronological Developed in late nineteenth century; utilized more in twentieth century

MODERNISM from “Perspectives in American Literature—A Research and Reference Guide,” www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap7/7intro.html The first true twentieth century movement Disruption of traditional syntax and form International perspective The artist is more heroic than the average person The artist challenges tradition and breaks away from it

MODERNISM Democratic and elitist Traditional and non-traditional Freer expression of sexual and political views Dramatizes the plight of women Creation of literature that reflects the urban experience Alienation leads to self-discovery

MODERNISM Themes: Socialist influences: the good of the collective vs. the individual The Jazz Age Women’s suffrage Prohibition The stock market crash and Great Depression

MODERNISM Authors: Ezra Pound John Steinbeck F. Scott Fitzgerald The Harlem Renaissance Dorothy Parker T.S. Eliot William Faulkner Ernest Hemingway

THE GREAT GATSBY Published in 1925 Examination of the Jazz Age Criticism of adhering to false materialistic values Cynical; an example of the bitterness of the Lost Generation

THE GREAT GATSBY Themes: The American Dream The individual vs. society Appearance vs. Reality The loss of innocence Inability to attain material fulfillment

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD from “Novel Guide: The Great Gatsby,” www F. SCOTT FITZGERALD from “Novel Guide: The Great Gatsby,” www.novelguide.com/thegreatgatsby/biography.html Born in 1896 as Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald Served in the army after leaving Princeton in 1917; discharged in 1919 Published This Side of Paradise when only 23. Unable to become wealthy from writing; moved to Hollywood to write screenplays Died at the age of 44 of a heart attack

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

IMAGERY The word pictures writers create to evoke an emotional response Often tied to sensory details: sight, sound, taste, touch, smell Prominent mode of communication in Gatsby

IMAGERY Common images in Gatsby: Eyes Sun/heat/fire Ashes Ghosts Music Colors