The Great Gatsby notes-study in preparation for the IOC
Context: The Great Gatsby was first published in 1925, six years after WWI ended in 1919 and 4 years before the stock market crash in 1929. Although Fitzgerald could not have predicted the Wall Street Crash, there are clear indications in the novel that he saw the rampant excesses of the jazz age as excessive and destructive. (Meyer Wolfsheim, The Valley of Ashes etc.) This post-war society was named “The jazz age” and it was a time of political corruption, the prohibition of alcohol, organized crime, gambling, illegal speakeasies or bars, and the cultivation of an American Dream which was increasingly focused on gaining wealth by whatever means necessary. Gatsby´s decadent parties reflect the hedonistic pursuit of pleasure that was popular in the Eastern United states at that time. The old- fashioned American values were being replaced by the pursuit of success and money.
The Post modernist style:
The Great Gatsby is a postmodern novel. Essentially, this means that: There is a blend of fiction and non-fiction. The characters are fictitious but are very much grounded in the reality of the time. There may be references to real events. A fragmented view of society is presented. The narrator is not omniscient and his view of the events is subjective. The narration may be unreliable or patchy. Time-shifting. The novel is written in a non-linear way. There are flashbacks and there is foreshadowing. The past and present mingle. This is also true of The Handmaid´s Tale by Margaret Atwood. A rejection or challenging of traditional values or assumptions. The author will aim to challenge the status quo and this will provoke public opinion and will prompt readers to think about the world. Many novels like this were written between WWI and after WWII also as people were questioning what it meant to be human.
Biographical influences-The voice of the author: Examining an author´s life can assist the reader in identifying the author´s voice and opinions as expressed through the text. Here are some relevant details: Fitzgerald was raised in Minnesota (Mid-Western U.S) in an Irish Catholic family. Minnesota would be considered to be a conservative state based on family values and reliant mostly on agriculture. As a child, Fitzgerald liked to imagine he was from British royalty and had been abandoned on his parent´s doorstep. Fitzgerald joined the army in 1917. In June 1918 Fitzgerald was assigned to Camp Sheridan, near Montgomery, Alabama. There he fell in love with a celebrated belle, eighteen-year-old Zelda Sayre, and the youngest daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge. Zelda did not consent to marry him until he could prove that he was a worthy prospect. The
publication of This Side of Paradise on March 26, 1920, made the twentyfour-year-old Fitzgerald famous almost overnight, and a week later he married Zelda Sayre in New York. They embarked on an extravagant life as young celebrities. Fitzgerald became an alcoholic and Zelda spent many years in mental institutions. The effects of their party lifestyle caught up with them as their health suffered and they also had debts. *(http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/biography/biography_p4.html) (The effects of this excess can also be seen in the novel-Owl Eyes crash in chapter 3 (page 55), the drunken remnant of the party, Klipspringer in chapter 5 (page 91) and many more examples.
Narrative and point of view:
The narrator tells the story with a specific perspective informed by his beliefs and experiences. As a reader, we view the events through the eyes of Nick Carraway (Care away?) The narration is from a first person perspective. Nick is not a completely reliable narrator as he does not see everything and there are moments that are missing when he was tipsy or fell asleep. Things to consider: He comes from a middle class, Mid-Western conservative background. He is educated and has strong manners and morals. On the one hand, he is intrigued by his new surroundings yet on the other hand, he passes moral judgments. Finally, the loose morality of the East disgusts him and he leaves. As a middle class man he is between the other classes represented in the novel so is an “inbetweener” or observer and commentator on what he observes from both classes. He is also an outsider in the east so he can observe the society as it unfolds before him more objectively and critically. His narration is non-linear as there are many time shifts. This means that it is also fragmented and unreliable. The influences of alcohol also make him an unreliable narrator at other points. (Typical post-modern fragmented perspective-the TRUTH is seen as something that is not set but is fragmented and objective)
Settings and possible meaning: The settings in the novel are hugely symbolic.
East Egg: Old money-home to the Buchanan´s. East Egg is symbolic of the wealthy power structures of American society. These people have had money for generations and in the novel, they are portrayed as being careless and reckless with the power that they have. The description of the Buchanan´s home creates an image of a well established and impressive home with a history rooted in British colonial wealth. This reminds us that these people have had wealth for generations:
“Their house was even more elaborate than I expected, a cheerful red and white Georgian colonial mansion, overlooking the bay. The lawn started at the beach and ran towards the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sundials and brick walks and burning gardens-finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. The front was broken up by a line of French windows, glowing now with reflected gold and wide open to the warm windy afternoon, and Tom Buchanan in riding clothes was standing with his legs apart on the front porch.” (Fitzgerald, F.S, page 12.) (Notice the lexis-what is suggested...history, elegance, established affluence etc.) ***Lexis/semantics/diction/language choices all mean the same thing
West Egg: New money-home to Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby. West Egg is a more modern and more ostentatious (flashy or showing off) version of East Egg. Gatsby´s mansion is described as follows: “a colossal affair by any standard-it was a factual imitation of some Hotel De Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin beard of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool and more than forty acres of lawn and garden.” (Fitzgerald, F.S, page 10) (Notice the lexis here-the huge size of the house is emphasized with the use of the adjective colossal and the newness of the mansion is also emphasized through the image of the thin ivy. The house is also and imitation of the real thing and it has no history, unlike the Buchanan´s house.) Nick mentions that there is a significant difference between the two eggs: “I lived at West Egg, the-well, the less fashionable of the two, though this is a most superficial tag to express the bizarre and not a little sinister contrast between them. “ (Fitzgerald, F.S, page 10) (Why sinister? Is this foreshadowing the vast class divide that becomes clear later in the novel?)
Wilson´s garage and The Valley of The Ashes: The Valley of The Ashes has a mythic quality. It is there to remind the reader´s of the consequences of the excesses of the Jazz age. The dust is symbolic of the waste that is created by the human pursuit of money and success. It could be seen as a religious reference to the Catholic concept purgatory. (Fitzgerald grew up in a Catholic home) Purgatory was almost like a waiting lounge, where souls would wait to either go to heaven or hell depending on the seriousness of their sins. Can this relate to the novel? Here are some descriptions from the text: “desolate area”, “a fantastic (hard to imagine) farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens”, “ash grey men, who move dimly and already crumbling through the powdery air.” (The lexis suggests decay and waste) The garage is introduced with the eyes of T.G Eckleburg looming in the background. Is this foreshadowing that Tom´s affair is seen by some higher power? “I followed him over a low whitewashed railroad fence, and we walked back a hundred yards along the road under Doctor Eckleburg´s persistent stare. The only building in sight was a small block of yellow brick sitting on the edge of the wasteland, a sort of compact Main Street ministering to it, and contiguous to absolutely nothing. One of the shops it contained was for rent and another was an all night restaurant, approached by a trail of ashes; the third was a garage-Repairs. George B. Wilson. Cars bought and sold. -And I followed Tom inside. (Fitzgerald. P.27) The lead up to the arrival at the garage is very gradual and suggests a gradual departure from civilization and a journey to the edge of the world. The garage is led up to by “a trail of ashes” (metaphor) and is in a “waste land” (adjective and noun choice). Even the color yellow (color symbolism) suggests decay. This impression is further developed as they enter the garage: “The interior was unprosperous and bare; the only car visible was the dust covered wreck of a Ford which crouched in a dim corner.” (Fitzgerald, p.27)
The use of adjectives to describe the almost empty garage and the personification of the dust covered Ford car brings to mind the theme of the corruption of the American Dream. Ford could be seen as a sign of the strength of American consumerism yet this Ford car is “crouched” and covered in dust therefore indicating that there is a consequence of this greed and the benefits are certainly not available to the poor like Wilson, who is only left with the scraps.
New York City etc. The apartment: The apartment that Tom rents for Myrtle is described in way that emphasizes how cramped and lacking in elegance it is. This contrasts with the wide-open, breezy elegant spaces of the Buchanan´s home: “The apartment was on the top floor-a small living room, a small dining room, a small bedroom, and a bath. (Fitzgerald, p. 31) The repetition of the adjective “small” and the syntax which uses listing, emphasizes how cramped it is. “The living room was crowded to the doors with a set of tapestried furniture entirely too big for it, so that to move about was to constantly stumble over scenes of ladies swinging in the gardens of Versailles. The only picture was an over-enlarged photograph, apparently a hen sitting on a blurred rock. Looked at from a distance, however, the hen resolved itself into a bonnet, and the countenance of a stout lady beamed down into the room. Several old copies of Town Tattle lay on the table together with a copy of Simon Called Peter, and some of the small magazines of Broadway.” (Fitzgerald, p.31)
Adjective choice emphasizes the fact that the apartment is crowded and stuffy and being in there is claustrophobic. Fitzgerald uses pathetic fallacy to add to the oppressive atmosphere, leading to the climax at the end of the chapter when Tom breaks Myrtle´s nose. The furniture has images of Versailles; this creates a symbolic link to Gatsby´s house, which is an imitation of a French mansion. The lower classes are seen to imitate sophistication in a clumsy obvious way, rather than actually embodying it. Could the hen image be a symbolic representation of Myrtle? She is, like the photograph, “over-enlarged”, in other words, she is trying to fit into a world that is too advanced for her class and she behaves in an artificial and exaggerated way to try to fit in. Nick also observes that the hen looks like a “stout lady2 and Myrtle has already been described in the same way by him. In this chapter she pecks at Tom like a hen to the point where he physically attacks her like an aggressive cock (male hen). The reading material in the apartment is also symbolic of class as well as indicative of the shallow preoccupations of the Jazz age and the corruption of the American Dream. The Town Tattle (gossip magazine) and the novel Simon Called Peter (Fitzgerald thought of this novel as immoral) are symbolic of an obsession with celebrity, wealth and self-seeking. New York City: I began to like New York, the racy, adventurous feel of it at night, and the satisfaction that the constant flicker of men and women and machines give to the restless eye… At the enchanted metropolitan twilight I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others-poor young clerks who loitered in front of windows waiting until it was time for a solitary restaurant dinner-young clerks in the dusk, wasting the most poignant moments of night and life.” (Fitzgerald, P. 57) The adjectives “racy” and “adventurous” imply that New York was a city that was vibrant and exciting while the adjective and noun “constant flicker” implying that
this energy never stopped, something that appealed to “the restless eye”. However this appeal seem to be a lonely existence and many people live parallel lives that do not intersect and they seem to live these solitary lives, mostly early in the morning and late at night as they cross paths to and from work. The verb “loitered” and “waiting” suggest that these solitary people spend a lot of their time alone and in limbo with no real purpose in life, in fact, they are “wasting” their lives. Structure: Structure is a general term applied to the author´s way of ordering and putting together the novel. This can be from a large scale (The progression of the plot throughout the entire novel) down to a very small scale (the order of words in a particular sentence). Authors spend a great deal of time focusing on aspects of structure and language in order to obtain just the right reaction in the reader. When analyzing an extract, it is important to demonstrate that you understand the importance of structure. Look out for the following: Syntax-word order and use of punctuation in a sentence. Comment on the use of commas, semi-colons (;), colons (:) and dashes (-). Comment on the use of long rambling sentences, stream of consciousness, short abrupt sentences etc. The structure of the extract. How is information revealed? Are there flashbacks? Is there foreshadowing? Are there switches between different time frames or perspectives? Is there listing which can build up a sense of excitement? (See description of preparation for the party in chapter 3) The placement of the extract within the whole novel? Where is the extract positioned and how is it important within the structure of the whole novel?
Characters: (also refer to character presentations on Dropbox) The central character in a work of literature is called the protagonist. The protagonist usually initiates the action in the story and often overcomes a flaw, such as weakness or ignorance, to achieve a new understanding at the novel´s end. An antagonist opposes the protagonist, barring or complicating their success. A Postmodern novel will often break away from this recognizable mold. In the Great Gatsby, Nick caraway narrates the story but it is Jay Gatsby that is the protagonist. Gatsby´s love affair with Daisy, her marriage to Tom, and Gatsby´s quest to regain Daisy´s affection provide the story´s narrative arc. Gatsby´s attempts to regain the past are also central to the plot development. As the novel´s protagonist, does Gatsby overcome a flaw and achieve new understanding in the end? Or is it Nick who achieves this understanding? In a sense, Gatsby´s premature death subverts the classic role of the protagonist as Gatsby is never allowed to, or is perhaps unwilling to reach this realization. Who is the antagonist? Tom? Daisy? Wilson? The class divide?
Character description: In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald explores characters in relation to their landscape, their wealth and their prior relationships. There is a strong association between characters and the settings that they inhabit. Color symbolism and descriptions of physical appearance, stature, movement and clothing is also used to highlight features of characters. Example: “The only completely stationary object I the room was an enormous couch on which two women were buoyed up as though upon an anchored balloon. They were both in white, and their dresses were rippling and fluttering as if they had just been blown back in after a short flight around the house.” (Fitzgerald, p.13) This description is the first introduction that we have to Daisy Buchanan and Jordan Baker. They are very much a part of this wealthy, airy colonial setting. The visual imagery of the two women, as yet unnamed, and therefore more mysterious, creates an impression of lightness and implies that the women lack purpose or substance. The life of leisure that they lead has no real purpose and the color imagery of white further emphasizes this purity or simplicity, as they will not get their dresses dirty as they really have nothing at all to do. The lightness of their dresses and their bodies is emphasized through adjective usage and this creates an impression of ethereal, otherworldly, mysterious characters.
Themes: Fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a text. The American Dream and the corruption of the American Dream. The frontier Class-new money and old money Carelessness (especially the wealthy) Honesty/Dishonesty Responsibility Tolerance Hypocrisy
Motifs: Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that further enhance texts ‘themes.
Color-linked to characters and moods Geography-East/West, City/outskirts etc. Weather-The wind in chapter 1, the oppressive heat in chapter 7, autumn leaves in Gatsby´s pool in chapter 8. Cars and driving-links to theme of carelessness and character development. Owl Eyes crashing at Gatsby´s house, Jordan Baker´s reckless driving, Gatsby´s ostentatious car, Daisy´s reckless driving and manslaughter of Myrtle.
Symbols: Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas or concepts.
The eyes of Dr. T.J Eckleberg The green light The Valley of Ashes
Language: The basic list! LEXIS: Lexis/lexical clusters (groups of words all creating a similar effect), semantic field (patterns of similar words building a particular effect, for ex. Words associated with decay in the Valley of ashes description. Word choice-the lexis or diction-This includes: Nouns-proper (person, place or thing) or abstract nouns (happiness, wealth, loss) Verbs and dynamic verbs. Verbs are actions, dynamic verbs suggest movement, for example: diving, swinging, threw, smashed etc. Adjectives-describing words. These help to create visual images in the reader´s mind. Adverbs-these help to describe HOW an action is done, for example “she threw the knife aggressively” Pronouns-first person (I), 2nd person (you), 3rd person (He, she, Mr. Wilson) etc. this establishes from what perspective a story is told. The grammatical tense-past, present, future…this also helps to establish the perspective and the time frame. Sentence types-declarative (statements), interrogative (questioning) and imperative (commands) These establish the tone and purpose of a section of narration or establish a characters voice-Are they more commanding and dominant (imperatives and declaratives), confident (declarative) or doubtful and insecure (imperatives) for example.
Figurative Language: Always consider framing devices, mood setting, sound and image. Framing devices: Foreshadowing and flashbacks Mood setting: Pathetic fallacy (how the surroundings, weather and atmosphere creates the mood) Imagery: Personification, metaphors and similes Anything that creates a more visual response in the reader, for example: “On weekends his Rolls Royce became an omnibus, bearing parties to and from the city between nine in the morning and long past midnight, while his station wagon scampered like a brisk yellow bug to meet all trains.”
(Fitzgerald, page 41) The noun “omnibus” creates an image of a long vehicle for passengers and emphasizes how long the car was and how Gatsby´s Rolls Royce became a busy taxi service for his party goers which further emphasizes the popularity and decadence of his parties, as guests were taken to the parties and returned home in style. The simile comparing his station wagon to a “brisk yellow bug” again suggests a mood of urgency. Sound techniques: These work with syntax to develop and trigger an auditory response in the reader. It contributes to developing character, setting, propelling the plot forward, often creating tension or anticipation and creating mood. Onomatopoeia-sounds that imitate the meaning of a word-crash, bang, wallop. Alliteration-repeated consonant sounds. Different consonant sounds have different qualities and create different moods. Consonant sounds can be harsh, explosive, cutting, vibrant etc. Assonance-repeated vowel sounds. This can create a long drawn out sound and often helps to develop mood. It can create a leisurely, melancholy or thoughtful mood for ex. Sibilance-repeated S sounds. This can create a sinister or suggestive mood. Remind yourself of the story… The story of Jay Gatsby: http://www.sparknotes.com/sparknotes/video/lifeofgatsby
Bibliography: Fitzgerald, F.S. The Great Gatsby. Penguin Classics, 1990 Tanner, T. Introduction, The Great Gatsby. Penguin classics, 1990. (http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/biography/biography_p4.html www.sparknotes.com
