The Great Gatsby
Description
Genre: Tragedy / Love Story
Target Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade
The Great Gatsby is told through the eyes of a distant friend of the main protagonist, Nick Carraway. Throughout the tale, Nick describes the tragic story of a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby, who appears to have have everything, yet in actuality has nothing. Gatsby surrounds himself with fancy material items and people, yet these things do not truly satisfy him. Rather, instead of revelling in his wealth, Gatsby merely watches others enjoy the many things his money can buy. In addition, Gatsby is also hopelessly in love with a married woman, who he believes to be the most genuine, insightful human being he has ever met. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the many layers of this story unfold, readers will quickly become aware of the disillusionment of Gatsby's life and of the people around him. This story truly defines the famous quote "money can't buy you happiness."
Target Grade Level: 9th to 12th grade
The Great Gatsby is told through the eyes of a distant friend of the main protagonist, Nick Carraway. Throughout the tale, Nick describes the tragic story of a wealthy man named Jay Gatsby, who appears to have have everything, yet in actuality has nothing. Gatsby surrounds himself with fancy material items and people, yet these things do not truly satisfy him. Rather, instead of revelling in his wealth, Gatsby merely watches others enjoy the many things his money can buy. In addition, Gatsby is also hopelessly in love with a married woman, who he believes to be the most genuine, insightful human being he has ever met. Nothing could be further from the truth. As the many layers of this story unfold, readers will quickly become aware of the disillusionment of Gatsby's life and of the people around him. This story truly defines the famous quote "money can't buy you happiness."
Who is the Author?
On April 10, 1925, a YA novel titled The Great Gatsby was published. This novel was written by one of the greatest classical authors of all time, F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald composed several books over the course of his lifetime, however The Great Gatsby most clearly displays why Fitzgerald can be considered a classic author. A classic writer can be defined as an author whose text(s) express artistic quality, stand the test of time, possess a universal appeal, and remain relevant to multiple generations (Lombardi, Esther). Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby exhibits all of these characteristics.
The text demonstrates artistic quality in that the plot is unique, creative, and imaginative. Fitzgerald was able to draw readers in by portraying his characters in a way that is relatable to readers, yet depict the settings and imagery of the novel in such a way that readers remained intrigued, interested, and amused. These aspects ultimately led to the universal appeal of the novel because Fitzgerald managed to keep readers engaged in his novel, due to its imaginative, yet realistic tone. In that same way, a diverse selection of readers are also able to connect with the story because of its very relatable themes, such as jealousy, greed, love, and lust. These are all emotions that people of all ages and backgrounds can identify with to some degree. His text has also withstood the test of time because even today, almost a century later, his text is still considered an iconic read. Thus, F. Scott Fitzgerald can undoubtedly be recognized as a classical author due to his unique stylistic choices that are infused within his texts. |
Sources
Lombardi, Esther. "The Definition of a Classic in Literature." ThoughtCo, DotDash, 13 January 2019, https://www.thoughtco.com/concept-of-classics-in-literature-739770.