1. Introduction to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

2. Modernism nontraditional syntax and forms fragmentation of timelines
use of symbols and motifs
deliberate complexity
introspective

3. Modernism Changing gender roles
Alienation / isolation – the “lost generation”
Cultural criticism

4. Historical Context 18th Amendment 19th Amendment economic boom
materialism

5. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published 1925, set in 1922
American Dream
commentary on society
East vs. West

6. The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald
lyrical style
“Action is character.”
fragmented time
social gatherings-structure
East vs. West

7. F. Scott Fitzgerald Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald 1896 Prep school 1908
Princeton 1913
Commissioned 1917
Discharged 1919
This Side of Paradise, first novel, published in 1920
Married Zelda 1920

8. F. Scott Fitzgerald The Beautiful and the Damned 1922
The Great Gatsby 1925
Tender is the Night 1934
Begins work on The Last Tycoon
Dies of a heart attack 1940

9. Francis Cugat “Celestial Eyes”
The Great Gatsby
Francis Cugat “Celestial Eyes”

10. Francis Cugat “Celestial Eyes”
The Great Gatsby
Francis Cugat “Celestial Eyes”

11. Francis Cugat - early sketch
The Great Gatsby
Francis Cugat - early sketch

12. Motifs
isolation
hopes & dreams
noses & smell

13. Motifs
eyes & sight
car accidents or mishaps

14. Motifs
old money vs. new money
East vs. West
light & shadows

15. Motifs
class & rich consuming the poor
exploration & settlement

16. Motifs
weather & seasons
sunlight & moonlight
the sea & water

17. Motifs
death & ghosts
nature (birds, vegetation, etc.)

18. Color Symbolism
White innocence
Silver
wealth
Gold
wealth

19. Yellow – light; fake gold Gray – death; destruction
Color Symbolism
Yellow – light; fake gold
Green – life; growth
Gray – death; destruction

20. Color Symbolism Lavender – indulgence Shades of Red – passion
Blue – dreams

21. Roman Numerals I - one V - five X - ten L - fifty C - one hundred
D - five hundred
M - one thousand
Placing any smaller number in front of any larger number indicates subtraction.
Example: IV (5 – 1)
Placing any smaller number after any larger number indicates addition.
Example: VI (5 + 1)

22. Sources
Bruccoli, Matthew J. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: A Literary Reference. New York: Carroll & Graf, Print.
literaryfictions.com. “Young F. Scott Fitzgerald”
nydailynews.com. “repeals-18th-amendment-80-years”jpg
smithsonian.com “Original Book Jacket Art”