The Great Gatsby Flashcards
When was ‘The Great Gatsby’ set?
1922
What are the THREE main settings of the novel?
- West Egg
- East Egg
- Valley of Ashes
What are the SEVEN contexts of the novel?
- The Great Depression
- Wall Street Crash
- Twenties
- Prohibition
- New Woman
- Flappers
- Decadence/ Fin-de-siecle
What is ‘The Great Depression’?
A severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during he 1930s
It was the longest, deepest and most widespread depression of the 20th century.
What is the ‘Wall Street Crash’?
A major American stock market crash that occurred in 1929
What is the ‘Roaring Twenties’?
Refers to the decade of the 1920s is Western society and Western culture, it was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the United States and Europe
What is ‘Prohibition’?
Prohibition in the United States was a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages from 1920 to 1933.
What is the ‘New Woman’?
A feminist ideal that emerged in the late 19th century and had a profound influence on feminism into the 20th century.
What is meant by ‘Flapper’?
Women in the 1920s where young women were known for their energetic freedom, embracing a lifestyle viewed by many at the time as outrageous, immoral or downright dangerous.
Considered the first generation of independent American women, flappers pushed barriers in economic, political and sexual freedom for women.
What is meant by ‘Decadence’ and ‘Fin De Siecle’?
Decadence - Moral or cultural decline because of excessive indulgence in pleasure or luxury.
Fin De Siecle - End of the century
How does ‘Decadence’ relate to ‘The Great Gatsby’?
Term decadence is often associated with this decade – literally meaning the falling away or in decline.
This way of thinking alarmed those who valued traditional Victorian values and felt that society was threatened to its core.
Links to the reluctant acceptance of the new woman, Jordan.
How does ‘Fin De Siecle’ relate to ‘The Great Gatsby’?
During the 1900s the role of women changed drastically: marriage and motherhood was no longer seen as the inevitable role for women as a result of educational and employment prospects improving.
What are the THREE main Themes?
- The American Dream
- Class
- Love/ Obsession
How does ‘The American Dream’ link to ‘The Great Gatsby’? Give an example of a character who resembles this.
American Dream refers to the notion of freedom, ensures all Americans the possibility of upward social mobility as long as they work for it, like Gatsby.
He is a clear embodiment of the American Dream: he was born poor and rose to achieve a higher wealth and social status.
How does ‘Class’ relate to ‘The Great Gatsby’?
West Egg (New Money) vs East Egg (Old Money)
Gatsby lives in West Egg and Daisy lives in East Egg.
What types of LOVE are there in ‘The Great Gatsby’? Give an example of characters who present the types of love.
- True Love - Gatsby’s love for Daisy, Tom for Materialism
- Loss of Love - George and Myrtle, Gatsby and Daisy
- Unrequited/ Petrarchan Love - Gatsby and Daisy
- Lust love - Nick and Jordan
THREE Key symbols in ‘The Great Gatsby’
- Dr T.J Eckleberg’s eyes
- Green light
- Valley of Ashes
What do ‘The Eyes of Dr T.J Eckleberg’ symbolise?
- Eyes painted on an old advertising billboard over the valley of ashes
- Represent God staring down upon and judging American society as a moral wasteland
- Fitzgerald suggests that symbols only have meaning because characters instill them with meaning
What does ‘The Green Light’ symbolise?
- Situated at the end of Daisy’s East Egg dock and barely visible from Gatsby’s West Egg lawn.
- Represents Gatsby’s hopes and dreams for the future
- Gatsby associates it with Daisy, and in Chapter 1 he reaches toward it in the darkness as a guiding light to lead him to his goal.
What does ‘The Valley of Ashes’ symbolise?
- First introduced in Chapter 2, the valley of ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of desolate land created by the dumping of industrial ashes.
- Represents the moral and social decay that results from the uninhibited pursuit of wealth, as the rich indulge themselves with regard for nothing but their own pleasure.
- Also symbolises the plight of the poor, like George Wilson, who live among the dirty ashes and lose their vitality as a result.
