The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)
The Great Gatsby is a story told by Nick Carraway, who was once Gatsby's neighbor, and he tells the story sometime after 1922, when the incidents that fill the book take place. As the story opens, Nick has just moved from the Midwest to West Egg, Long Island, seeking his fortune. Little does Nick know that he is about to meet a man who has everything money can buy, but desperately desires the one thing he can't.
Considered to be Fitzgerald's best work (many regard it as the greatest modern American novel ever written), The Great Gatsby explores themes related to idealism, romance, heartache, decadence, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess. Fitzgerald creates a portrait of the Jazz Age (a term he coined) and the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
Considered to be Fitzgerald's best work (many regard it as the greatest modern American novel ever written), The Great Gatsby explores themes related to idealism, romance, heartache, decadence, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess. Fitzgerald creates a portrait of the Jazz Age (a term he coined) and the Roaring Twenties that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.
From the Preface:
"The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politically correct; it does not reveal how to solve the problems of life; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece" (vii). |
Reading Schedule:
Read Chapter I (5-26) DUE: Monday, Sept. 30 Read Chapter II (27-42) DUE: Wednesday, Oct. 2 Read Chapters III & IV (43-85)* DUE: Monday, Oct. 21 Read Chapters V & VI (86-118)* DUE: Friday, Oct. 25 Read Chapters VII & VIII (119-170) DUE: Tuesday, Oct. 29 Read Chapter IX (171-189) DUE: Thursday, Oct. 31
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*Quote Response from CHAPTER V (86-102)
Choose 3 quotations from Chapter V
- Analyze, interpret, and provide commentary for each quote
- Doesn’t need to be typed (though that’s always a nice touch)
- Explain each quote’s significance, why you chose it, and its relationship to the novel as a whole (so far)
- Please limit the length of each quote to 3 sentences or less
QUIZ on Fitzgerald and the 1920s
Study your notes based on the PowerPoints (links provided below):
Fitzgerald's biography
Great Gatsby in the context of the 1920s.
Prepare a 3x5 note card for use during the Quiz.
QUIZ: Wednesday, Oct. 23rd
Fitzgerald's biography
Great Gatsby in the context of the 1920s.
Prepare a 3x5 note card for use during the Quiz.
QUIZ: Wednesday, Oct. 23rd
Fitzgerald PowerPoint | |
File Size: | 1667 kb |
File Type: | pptx |
Gatsby and the 1920s | |
File Size: | 9933 kb |
File Type: | ppt |