The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald

History of the Book Published in April 1925 Fitzgerald wanted Gatsby to be a “consciously artistic achievement.” never satisfied with The Great Gatsby as the title, Fitzgerald debated between many, including, Among the Ash-heaps and Millionaires, The High-Bouncing Lover, Gold-hatted Gatsby, and Trimalchio in West Egg. Most critical reviews of the time were favorable; one critic praised Fitgerald, writing that “…he has mastered his talents and gone soaring in beautiful flight.” The book was not, however, a comercial success, garnering him only a few thousand dollars; he earned the majority of his money selling short stories. While his death was of little note at the time, critics turned back to his work and discovered the literary elements for longevity in The Great Gatsby: themes of dreams pursued, moral disintegration, illusion vs. reality, and a harsh critique of society’s lust for money. The Great Gatsby is a staple of American classics.

Parallels: Gatsby and Fitzgerald From Minnesota, poor--served in WWI Fitzgerald fell in love with Zelda Sayre, but she would not marry him until he had earned enough money to support her lavish lifestyle--pursuit of love through wealth The publication of This Side of Paradise in 1920 made him instantly famous; they married--he, 26; she, 20. They frequented all the major parties and hot spots; both attractive, their pictures often graced tabloid magazines. Both heavy drinkers, Fitzgerald quickly became an alcoholic. Drinking led to public arguments. Zelda was always the life of the party, flaunting her body. Zelda suffered the first of many mental breakdowns in 1930; she spent the rest of her life in sanitariums

“That was always my experience—a poor boy in a rich town; a poor boy in a rich boy's school; a poor boy in a rich man's club at Princeton.... However, I have never been able to forgive the rich for being rich, and it has colored my entire life and works.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters

The Great Gatsby Literary Devices

Realistic Novel A realistic novel contains complex characters with mixed motives who: are members of a specific social class interact with many characters undergo everday experiences

Novel of Manners work of fiction that recreates a social world, conveying with finely detailed observation the customs, values, and behaviors of a highly developed and complex society. The conventions of the society dominate the story, and characters are differentiated by the degree to which they measure up to the uniform standard, or ideal, of behaviour or fall below it.

MOOD Mood is an emotional tone that encompasses a section or whole of a literary work. The Great Gatsby contains various moods, including mystery and suspense, timelessness, regret, and violence and recklessness.

TONE Tone is the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward his subject, his audience, or himself. The Great Gatsby’s tone is simple and cohesive, colorful and action-packed, sometimes comical, and “mythical,” meaning it has a sense of timelessness, yet moves along.

IMAGERY Language which describes something in detail, using words to substitute for and create sensory stimulation. The most highly developed sense is sight; hence, the majority of a work’s imagery is visual. This appeals to the sense of sight and, hopefully, creates pictures in the reader’s mind. Good writers will attempt to appeal to many senses at the same time.

Roaring 1920s on Long Island spring through autumn of 1922 “Jazz Age” and prohibition Long Island Sound, New York, and New York City “West Egg”: area of Long Island for the newly rich “East Egg”: area of Long Island for the established rich “Valley of the Ashes”: district between NYC and the Sound.

East Egg and West Egg

Symbols of The Great Gatsby Colors: green, white, gray, gold and silver Seasons: spring, summer and autumn The Green Light Eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg Automobiles (“machine in the garden”) The Eggs (geography) Clocks and time

THEMES American Dream: its promise and corruption “The Great Gatsby is an exploration of the American dream as it exists in a corrupt period, and it is an attempt to determine that concealed boundary that divides the reality from illusions. The illusions seem more real than reality itself.” --Marius Bewley

THEMES, CONT. The attainment of a dream may be less satisfying than the pursuit of that dream Corrupting nature of wealth; money breeds immorality and carelessness The blind pursuit of an ideal/dream is destructive Class/social standing Morality Illusion vs. reality

Central Characters Nick Carraway Jay Gatsby Daisy Buchanan Tom Buchanan Jordan Baker Myrtle Wilson George Wilson

A Closer look at Nick Carraway The novel’s narrator (first person POV) represents an assertion of the strengths that made America great (versus Gatsby) deeply involved in the novel’s action; a ‘fish out of water’ story (novel of manners) is a “dual hero” alongside Gatsby; how does Nick change and how does Gatsby change? A moral symbol: a hope for moral growth, and the traditional moral codes of America.