Gatsby Critic Quotes Flashcards
R.W Stallman
Suggested Gatsby was a ‘modern Icarus’ - his ambition flew too high and led to his downfall
H.L Menken
writing had ‘charm and beauty’ but ‘only gatsby himself genuinely lives and breathes. the rest are mere marionettes’
Joanne S. Korenman
suggests that fitzgerald keeps the colour of daisy’s hair ambiguous as fair-haired women were seen as innocent and dark-haired women were seen as dangerous temptresses
Ross Posnack
everything in the great gatsby including people is turned into an object because the characters are so obsessed with material wealth. this stops gatsby from being able to love because he sees daisy as a prize he can buy. in capitalist societies people collect objects and capital to increase their social status. in this way objects become status symbols, e.g. the car
Ronald Berman
the characters in the great gatsby have a closer relationship to published advertised images then they do with each other. e.g. george wilson can’t tell the difference between dr TJ Eckelberg and god
Judith Fetterley
american literature is male - it is written from a male perspective for the male reader. she counters Trillings comment that Gatsby was america itself by saying daisy herself ‘who was america’ because women are like the ‘american dream’ as they are fantasied about about but blamed by male characters failure to achieve their dreams
Lionel Trilling
argued gatsby’s dreams are central to his life but his dreams are kept in check by ‘power’ to achieve them. he concludes that gatsby is caught between ‘power’ and ‘dream’: he represents america itself because america is split between fantasy of the american dream and the reality of the individuals power to ruin his own life
Suggested Gatsby was a ‘modern Icarus’ - his ambition flew too high and led to his downfall
R.W Stallman
writing had ‘charm and beauty’ but ‘only gatsby himself genuinely lives and breathes. the rest are mere marionettes’
H.L Menken
suggests that fitzgerald keeps the colour of daisy’s hair ambiguous as fair-haired women were seen as innocent and dark-haired women were seen as dangerous temptresses
Joanne S. Korenman
everything in the great gatsby including people is turned into an object because the characters are so obsessed with material wealth. this stops gatsby from being able to love because he sees daisy as a prize he can buy. in capitalist societies people collect objects and capital to increase their social status. in this way objects become status symbols, e.g. the car
Ross Posnack
the characters in the great gatsby have a closer relationship to published advertised images then they do with each other. e.g. george wilson can’t tell the difference between dr TJ Eckelberg and god
Ronald Berman
american literature is male - it is written from a male perspective for the male reader. she counters Trillings comment that Gatsby was america itself by saying daisy herself ‘who was america’ because women are like the ‘american dream’ as they are fantasied about about but blamed by male characters failure to achieve their dreams
Judith Fetterley
argued gatsby’s dreams are central to his life but his dreams are kept in check by ‘power’ to achieve them. he concludes that gatsby is caught between ‘power’ and ‘dream’: he represents america itself because america is split between fantasy of the american dream and the reality of the individuals power to ruin his own life
Lionel Trilling
