The Great Gatsby AO5

Question 1

Cyril Connolly indicates the contrast between Fitzgerald’s style and message

Answer 1

Cyril Connolly ‘Fitzgerald style sings with hope but his messages despair’

Question 2

what does Marriott assert about the novel and society

Answer 2

“novel depicts a society careening towards destruction”

Question 3

what does McRae assert about everything in the novel?

Answer 3

Everything in the novel has a contradiction flipside; an affirmation -it is always kicked out from under us

Question 4

McRae on Nick

Answer 4

“He pretends to be trying to help us try to understand Gatsby but really he is trying to work out how to understand himself”

Question 5

what does McRae assert Fitzgerald is revealing in relation to History

Answer 5

Fitzgerald is trying to reveal the history of how America got to 1920s
the Great Gatsby reveals how the invaders raped that paradise and raped nature -the violence done to the world by uncaring humanity

Question 6

Brucolli on Gatsby

Answer 6

“Gatsby portrays and is betrayed by the promises of America”

Question 7

what does Saywood point in relation to the structure of the novel and implications of such

Answer 7

points out that Social gatherings are the structure of the novel so we see social life as important but relationships in this social life are shallow and chaotic

Question 8

what does MacDonald point out about attitudes in the novel

Answer 8

points out that attitudes put wealth and materialism over things of spiritual values

Question 9

MacDonald on Gatsby

Answer 9

points out that Gatsby is a fraud and a showman. he passed himself off as something that he isn’t. his character is emblematic of the jazz age -if you scratch the surface you find something cheap underneath. Gatsby is further socially naive as he is unable to realise the insincerity of others – overall Gatsby is emblematic of the 20s as there is something corrupt and unwholesome underpinning the success

Question 10

what does MacDonald suggest the novel is indicating about Gatsby’s dream and the American dream

Answer 10

indicates that Gatsby’s image of Daisy is a hopelessly Romantic and idolised version and the novel exposes Gatsby dream as a hollow and misguided one. In the real world the objects are desires don’t live up to our expectations dreams are and desires are built on unreality overall the novel is a critique of the American dream as it is exposed as wealth obsessed. relates to the presentation of Daisy as well as she is very materialistic herself the appeal she has to do with his money her voice is full of money and so money is part of her charm

Question 11

views of other critics on the American dream and Gatsby

Answer 11

The dream is based on success and success can come at all costs
-it is indicated that Gatsby’s tragic flaw is that he impresses everyone but Daisy

‘Fitzgerald has written a novel about failure as if it was a novel of success’
Gatsby is America

Question 12

what does Weston state about the glamour presented in the novel

Answer 12

‘there is a dark underbelly to showy glamour that we see’

Question 13

Brucolli - suprising factor of TGG

Answer 13

Great Gatsby “contains surprisingly little in the way of sociological and anthropological detail”

Question 14

Weston points out about the alternative title of TGG

Answer 14

The alternative title of The Great Gatsby highlights the duality of the 1920s and the novel

Question 15

McRae on the contradictory nature of the novel

Answer 15

McRae ‘Almost anything that happens, unhappens. what is stated is contradicted’ throughout the novel the final line is trying to go forward but being dragged back

Question 16

McRae points out what about about Nick and the moral message of the play

Answer 16

Points out that Nick doesn’t give us a moral there are no easy answers

Question 17

what does Kearns point out about American literature

Answer 17

The first American heroes in literature often not who they appear to be

Question 18

what does Kearns point out about the 1920s and other contextual information

Answer 18

Points out that the 1920s is an age of intolerance, indulgence and invention - the KKK hit its peak in membership in 1925

Question 19

Kearns points out something in relation to wealth and religion

Answer 19

“Money is the new religion” In America

Question 20

Lawes on women in TGG

Answer 20

Points out that women look free in their little dresses but they are sleeping with people for money as shown by the presentation of Myrtle
-2 sides to women- are they victims of themselves, their decisions , their society, of the rich, of men

Question 21

what does Lawes point out about the emotions of the characters in the novel

Answer 21

nobody in this novel is happy and argues that Daisy’s daughter/ Pammy is the loneliest child or saddest child in American literature

Question 22

what connection does Lawes point ot between Gatsby and Myrtle

Answer 22

Myrtle was the only person about whom Fitzgerald uses the word ‘vitality’ other than Gatsby -both were trapped in constraints and traditional roles

Question 23

what does Saywood point out in relation to Daisy

Answer 23

points out the difference in emotion that Daisy experience in relation to a child and her emotions to a pile of shirts

Question 24

views of feminist critics

Answer 24

believes that Daisy is used as a scapegoat goat for our anger and Feminist critics further assert that myrtle’s death and the attack of her body is a punishment for women as a whole

Question 25

a CRITICS (unknown name) assertion in relation to Daisy

Answer 25

Asserts that Daisy is like her name -gold at the centre