The Great Gatsby:F. Scott Fitzgerald

IBDP April 2015Miss Lorelle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o

The Great Gatsby:F. Scott FitzgeraldAmerican authorHe coined the term jazz ageConsidered a member of the "Lost Generation" of the 1920sSense of disillusionment-American writers who went to live in Europe after WWIProblematic period in history-entire generation eliminated.http://www.fscottfitzgeraldsociety.org/biography/biography_p1.htmlF. Scott Fitzgerald

Men went to war and the women had to work.This radically changed the relationships and gender dynamics.The men came back & needed to work & the women didnt want to go back to their traditional roles.Due to the war, people felts that things could end any minute so they lived life to the fullest.

Lavish, grand parties,oppulance, debaucheryLavishness was surrounded by corruptionPeople lost their inhibitions- no consequencesPeriod of Prohibitions: No alcohol allowedPeople made a lot of money of this (millions in fact)Bootleggers (like Gatsby) were people who used to illegally smuggle alcohol into the country in their boots.Over spending lead to the Great Depression of 1929

The 1920s

Originally from African American communities in New OrleansThe time for experiments and discovering new jazz-styles. Jazz bands started the musical revolution using for the saxophone for the first time. It has been known to provoke close intimate dancing and many people were shocked by the loud and extraordinary sound of the sax (which happens to sound like sex).Older people claimed that jazz was a debauched influence on the younger generation. They began to rebel and refused to follow the moral traditions of the time.Music, Clubs the Jazz Age

Over the top/Magic showEnigmatic charactersThemes:Decline of American DreamSocial Class structureImmigrationWomens rights-the right to voteWeatherColors-The Green LightGeographyValley of AshesEyesNarrated 1st person

The Great Gatsby

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xw9Au9OoN88https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6Iu29TNfkM

Online Summaries

James Gatz, born in the USA but is ethnically German.He knows that in order to be a success, or to be able to rise he has to change his name=changing his identity.Rumors of how he made his moneyHe uses strange words, slang and has a weird British accent- we dont know about his past until the end.Lives in the past- especially with DaisyJay Gatsby old sport

Narrator, 1st personBritish ancestryNick is compared to that of a seed= seems pretty inconsequential but has the potential to grow into something, like a new life. He is constantly carried away by New YorkGlamorizes Gatsby Written in retrospective, looking back longingNick Carraway

Not much depth to his characterVery wealthyThe all American maleFootball player, strong, goodlookingGood educationDumbMoral-less

Tom

Flower, gentle and daintyShe has a kind of charm, allureName taken from a novella which represented the innocent girl next door, but is she really what she appears to be? All a faade everything is about appearancesShe wants to appear weak & frail- what society expects of her- but shes the opposite literally gets away with murderShe has depth, beautiful little fool a fool wont understand the world she is living in, she will accept her situation & live in a bubbleShe is the ideal cannot happen a social class Gatsby cannot reachEverything she says is fake, elaborateShe likes the attention from Gatsby and she knows it cant be more than just an affair

Daisy

Pro golfer, athleteFollows DaisyAll about social classHer name is constructed from popular cars at the time Jordan Playboy and Baker ElectricA car says a lot about you socially, cars are also agents of death.Jordan Baker

Toms mistress. She is married to George Who has a garage.She is part of the working classHer name is like a shrub- unlike Daisy who is seemingly sweet.She feels like she married beneath her, she was born to be better,She is always over dressed, no morals and not classyMyrtle

Anyone can make it in society, but this isnt true because this depends on money, background, ethnicity, gender etc.Gatsby and Myrtle have aspirations but they can never truly be fulfilled.They are constantly climbing the social ladder You are known by your family name, pre-determined destinyUSA supposed to be able to re-invent yourselfAmerican Adam vs Self proclaimed orphanBen Franklins Road to Riches16What matters is who you are and where you come fromWest-EastSet in NYEastegg represents wealth- HamptonsWASPS in EasteggValley of Ashes- people go there to dieLike a border of societies Service area of city

Symbolic GeographyGatsby wants to change the present, always out of reach like DaisyGreen light=go Green the color= envy/money/jealousy American DreamHope

The Green LightBillboard at the end of the passage tht used to be a commercial for an eye doctorKind of like the eyes of g-d, sort of like the big brotherIt could be the eyes of society safeguarding their placeAlways watchingPeople always want to know about othersThe EyesFor Gatsby his past is doomed to begin withA tragic hero is bound to failFailure in his own characterPride in the end kills himIn death one can only be killed by another from their social class- so Tom is the catalyst to Gatsbys murderTom helps to maintain Daisys lifestyle- she wants revenge on Tom but ultimately she wont give up on her glamorous lifestyle

Tragic Hero