The Great
Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Context AO4 – the ‘Roaring 20s’
The Roaring Twenties
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The jazz age
Flappers
Prohibition
Wealth and opulence of post WW1 America
Growing consumerism/materialism
Conspicuous consumption
Mass culture
Research Task: look up these terms
American Dream
and create a detailed information
Naturalism
poster to be handed in on Tuesday.
Social inequality
This knowledge will be valuable in
helping you to interpret Fitzgerald’s
social commentary and will be
displayed so make it pretty!
Key Questions
• If all characters are representational, who or
what does Gatsby symbolize?
• Is the novel a tragic love story, a social satire
or a meditation on the fate of American
ideals in the face of modernism?
The ‘GREAT’ Gatsby
• ‘Great’ might connote an image similar to that of a
magician or conjurer: one who perhaps entertains
and creates a sense of awe through trickery and
illusion.
• ‘Great’ suggests something magnificent or
extraordinary – standing out from the crowd
• What’s ‘great’ about an anti hero?
• Is it only Nick’s romantic presentation of Gatsby that
makes him ‘great’?
Chapter 1
• Setting
• Character
• Narrative perspective
AO2 focus on
language, form and
structure
Summary
We are introduced to Nick Carraway, the narrator.
Nick presents himself as an amiable, honest
person who listens to everyone's problems and
reserves judgement. Tom and Daisy Buchanan are
introduced. Nick’s opinion of Tom isn’t great; he’s
powerful and arrogant. Jordan Baker, the
professional female golfer, is also introduced.
Problems between Daisy and Tom’s marriage are
alluded to with Tom having a well-publicised
affair under Daisy's nose. Gatsby is seen for the
first time.
What does our narrator reveal about
himself?
• ‘In my younger and more vulnerable years…’ p7
• ‘…all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve
had.’ p7
• ‘I’m inclined to reserve all judgements’ p7
• ‘Reserving judgements is a matter of infinite hope.’ p7
• ‘…as my father snobbishly suggested and I snobbishly repeat, a sense of
fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.’ p7
• ‘tolerance…has a limit’ p7
• ‘When I came back from the East last Autumn I felt that I wanted the
world to be in uniform and at a sort of moral attention forever; I wanted
no more riotous excursions with privileged glimpses into the human
heart.’ p8
Narrative perspective
• Nick provides a very complex point of view as he is both observer and
participant in the story. Therefore, how reliable is his account of events?
• As a reader we have to judge and interpret the narrator’s behaviour as
well as his account of characters.
• Nick is a writer which allows him (like Amir) to provide poetic descriptions
and commentary and detached observations (although he also gets swept
up in the action at times too).
• The presentation of Gatsby and other characters are filtered through Nick
so we have to work harder as a reader to gain an objective picture of
them.
• Nick’s recounting of events is also filtered though time which can distort
and warp reality, so it’s important that we feel we can trust him.
Voices
• The narrative is littered with dramatic
dialogue to break up Nick’s voice. The often
ridiculously empty, banal conversations
contrast with Nick’s eloquent descriptions.
Nick on Gatsby
• ‘there was something gorgeous about him,
some heightened sensitivity to the promises
of life.’ p8
• ‘…it was an extraordinary gift for hope, a
romantic readiness such as I have never
found in any other person and which it is not
likely I shall ever find again.’ p8
Setting
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East and West Egg
Nick’s rented dwelling
Gatsby’s mansion
The Buchanan’s home
TASK:
Analyse the language in each of the
extracts that describe the above
settings. What is revealed about
them through language? Consider
connotation and symbolism.
Characterisation
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Nick (as a participant in the action)
Tom
Task: in pairs identify and collate at least 3
Daisy
key quotations for each character.
Jordan
Analyse the language: what is revealed
through Fitzgerald’s use of symbolism and
connotation? How significant are names?
How do they speak, behave, move, etc.? In
particular, what characteristics are being
established that are important for what is
to come?