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Intro. Notes: The Great gatsby

Intro. Notes: The Great gatsby . By F. Scott Fitzgerald. General Info. The Great Gatsby (published in 1925 ) Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald ( 1896 – 1940 ). Historical Context:.

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Intro. Notes: The Great gatsby

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  1. Intro. Notes: The Great gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

  2. General Info. • The Great Gatsby (published in 1925) • Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896 – 1940)

  3. Historical Context: • Following the end of WWI (1918), Americans experienced a time of disillusionment, moral reevaluation, social experiment, and hedonism. • The Roaring Twenties: The United States’ overall success in World War I, the survival of the worldwide influenza epidemic of 1918, and an apparently strong economy led to a period of strong optimism and a new fun-seeking attitude.

  4. Historical context (continued) • The Jazz Age: The popularity of the new Jazz music of New Orleans and Chicago, dances like the Charleston, combined with the relaxing moral code and the general feeling of optimism created the feeling of a never-ending social party.

  5. Historical context (continued) • Much of what was considered “roaring” about “The Roaring Twenties,” however, contained the seeds of the 1929 stock market crash and the Great Depression of the 1930’s.

  6. The Novel’s Key Themes: • The Decline of the American Dream: At one point, the American Dream was about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness, but this was corrupted by easy money and an overall relaxing of social values. In Gatsby, we see one who cannot capture his elusive dream. He is typical of many people in the 1920s.

  7. The Novel’s Key Themes (continued) • The Stratification of the Social Classes: Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald makes comparisons between old money, new money, and no money. Each of these groups has a specific place in society.

  8. The Novel’s Key Themes (continued) • The Hollowness of the Upper Class: There are two classes of rich in this novel, newly rich and old aristocracy, but there is one trait they share: they are spiritually and emotionally hollow.

  9. Hollowness of the Upper Class • Fitzgerald portrays new money as loud, rowdy, lacking in social graces, wearing pink suits, owning monstrously ornate mansions, and driving flashy cars. • He portrays old money as having social graces, subtlety, elegance, tasteful homes, and beautiful clothing.

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