Great Gatsby

• Minor Characters in Novel

  • Dan Cody - Millionaire who introduced Gatsby to the life style of the super wealth
  • Henry Gatz - Gatsby’s father - proud of his son
  • Catherine - Myrtles sister - hides her sisters affair
  • Mr McKee - Myrtles friends - photographer
  • Mrs McKee - Loud and unrefined
• How do the Mckee’s present love?

  • Mundane
  • Marriage as a social performance - want to appear sophisticated
  • Critic of modern relationships
• How do Gatsby’s guests present love?

  • Superficial - came for excitement and open affairs
  • Love for social gain - e.g Director and the film star
  • a contrast to Gatsby’s love - shows how out of place he is in a superfical world
• What is Fitzgerald’s purpose?

  • Critic the American Dream - its fundamentally flaws - becomes tied to greed
  • Expose moral decay - critics society being driven by appearance of substance
  • The tragedy of isolation - the deep emotional cost of chasing an unreachable dream
• What Genre's does The Great Gatsby fall under?

  • Modernist
  • Social Satire
  • Realism
  • Tragedy
• How does The Great Gatsby portray realism?

  • Depicts the real world - Plaza Hotel
  • Elevates mundane aspects of life, whilst also showing disturbing aspects of the Human Experience
  • Offers a candid portrayal of the Jazz Age
  • Highlights dramatic wealth gap in US - as well as obsession, greed and betrayal
• How does The Great Gatsby portray Modernism?

  • Post-WW1 literary Movement
  • Used more experimental forms to reflect societal changes
  • Whilst narrative remains traditional - Gatsby illustrates the trappings of the modern world and it's destructive changes
• How does The Great Gatsby portray Tragedy?

  • Portrays human suffering and the tragic fall of Gatsby
  • Gatsby is an archetypal hero to Nick and the Reader - creates sympathy
  • Tragic Flaw - his relentless pursuit of Daisy and wealth
  • The qualities that Nick admires (passion and optimism) ultimately lead to his downfall
  • His downfall leads to the suffering of others as well
• How does The Great Gatsby portray Social Satire?

  • A Critique of the Roaring Twenties
  • Buchanan's and drunken party guests - show upper class as superficial and uncaring
  • Uses the Valley of Ashes to satirise Capitalism and industrialism - shows negative social and environmental impact
  • Tragic ending is a critique of the destructive (even fatal) consequences of 1920s hedonistic culture.
• What style of writing does Fitzgerald (Nick) use?

  • Poetic and elegiac - sense of nostalgia and mournfulness
  • Fast-paced - highlights the whirlwind lifestyle of characters
  • Long sentences (evocative imagery and figurative language) - mirrors the flamboyant lifestyle of 1920's
  • Alliteration and rhythm - lend to musicality - nod to Jazz Age
  • Descriptive language - a sombre feeling (Gatsby's death and Valley of Ashes) - mirrors Nick's cynicism surrounding his experience - Creates a sense of conflict in the narrative, that mirrors the conflict felt in the roaring twenties.
• How does the tone of the novel change throughout?

  • From the start, the tone is both sympathetic and critical of Gatsby
  • Tone perhaps becomes more sympathetic as Nick becomes more involved in the actions of the novel
  • Chapter 9 - Tone shifts - becomes more mournful and cynical
  • Cynical of humanity's fundamental tendency toward self-interest
  • Does not take a celebratory tone - despite this being a prosperous and optimistic period for America
• What does the mattress Gatsby dies on represent?

  “Pneumatic mattress“

  • the airy And spiritual romanticism which is his fatal flaw