More on The Great Gatsby

This link discusses some random facts about the novel and the writer:

http://gothamist.com/2013/05/07/gatsby_facts.php

The Wire breaks down The Great Gatsby (There is some strong language here):

http://www.openculture.com/2012/08/ithe_wirei_breaks_down_ithe_great_gatsbyi_f_scott_fitzgeralds_classic_criticism_of_america_nsfw.html

Footage of Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda:

http://www.openculture.com/2012/11/rare_footage_of_scott_and_zelda_fitzgerald_from_the_1920s.html

http://query.nytimes.com/search/sitesearch/?action=click&contentCollection&region=TopBar&WT.nav=searchWidget&module=SearchSubmit&pgtype=Homepage#/THE GREAT GATSBY

http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=the%20great%20gatsby

Race and The Great Gatsby:

http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/06/rise-of-the-colored-empires/276844/

https://www.uscupstate.edu/uploadedFiles/Academics/Undergraduate_Research/Reseach_Journal/006_ARTICLE5_2009.pdf

http://flavorwire.com/391193/the-complicated-and-troubling-role-of-race-and-class-in-baz-luhrmanns-Gatsby

https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/why-i-believe-that-jay-gatsby-was-black/153166.article

Notes from 9/21 Class

Themes found in the story:

 

·         Facing the consequences of one’s actions

·         The struggle to change

Symbols found in the story:

·         Honoria’s doll

·         Snow

 

1)   Explain Charlie's view of his own actions, his return to Paris, and his alcoholism.

 

2)   As readers, are we supposed to be on Marion's side, or on Charlie's side? Pick a side and explain.

 

3)   Explain the following quotes: "I heard that you lost a lot in the crash."

"I did," and he added grimly, "but I lost everything I wanted in the boom” (18).

“He would come back some day; they couldn't make him pay forever. But he wanted his child, and nothing was much good now, beside that fact.  He wasn't young any more, with a lot of nice thoughts and dreams to have by himself.  He was absolutely sure Helen wouldn't have wanted him to be so alone” (19).

4)    Symbolism is important in literature; what is symbolic about Helen’s death? Lorraine and Duncan?

 

“Babylon Revisited”: Similarity to The Great Gatsby

In both works, the main character is trying to create a new identity.

In the case of Jay Gatsby, he has reinvented himself by a name change and by becoming rich through criminal acts to win Daisy.

In Charlie’s instance, he has made a serious effort to reform to gain custody of Honoria.

Both The Great Gatsby and “Babylon Revisited” are also statements about the twenties, the pursuit of wealth and careless living of that generation. Gatsby’s pursuit of wealth, hoping it will bring him happiness and fulfillment, is the embodiment of the American Dream gone wrong. “Babylon Revisited” makes a statement not only about Charlie’s his personal dilemma but the irresponsible seeking of pleasure that was characteristic of the post-war Roaring Twenties generation.

It was in this spirit that Fitzgerald wrote one of his most frequently quoted lines: “There are no second acts in American lives.”

It is a lone sentence, without context, found among the pages for a novel he never finished. Yet journalists often quote it when writing about failure. The phrase has been widely interpreted to mean that America gives no second chances. The value of the statement rests on its being written by Fitzgerald, who is presumably something of an authority on lost opportunities (Nilsson).

The Great Gatsby

Taking a few mintues to read some background information on the author will enhance your understanding of the text.

Here are a few quotes to also think about from the text:
 “ Whenever you feel like criticizing any one…just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had” (1).

“”a single green light, minute and faraway, that might have been the end of a dock” (22).

”He smiled understandingly-much more than understandingly. It was one of those rare smiles with a quality of eternal reassurance in it, that you may come across four or five times in life. It faced–or seemed to face–the whole external world for an instant, and then concentrated on you with an irresistible prejudice in your favor. It understood you just as far as you wanted to be understood, believed in you as you would like to believe in yourself” (48).

“Everyone suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known” (60).

Article from class today on the green light:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2008/02/17/education/17gatsby.html?referrer=&_r=1

and one on the American Dream:

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/08/09/opinion/sunday/nicholas-kristof-usa-land-of-limitations.html?referrer=&_r=1

ROOM CHANGE FOR CLASS--4th FLOOR MULTIPURPOSE ROOM

Hello Class,

Because of the size of our class, we will meet all semester in the 4th floor multipurpose room for the entire semester.


See you there on Monday.

Prof. O'Connell

Take the main elevators to the 4th floor, make your first left and then your second left. Room is on the right.

Missed First Class 9/14--Read "Babylon Revisited" for Monday 9/21

Hi Class: 

As you know by now I was not in class today (Monday 9/14). My wife gave birth to our first child recently and I am home with them. Just follow the syllabus for these next few classes and I'll be back Monday 9/21 when we will catch up and be back on track for the rest of the semester. 

So take this next week or so to get the required texts and be ready to go next Monday. 

Prof. O'Connell