the main focus of the language, and with most of Fitzgerald's work is his use of heavy description and symbolism. It creates a sense of art in the writing and conveys the sense of glamour in keeping with 1920s high society and so on...
The best example of the language is the start of (I think chapter 5?) when Nick describes the staff setting up for the party, it's beautifully written and sort of makes the preparations of the party sound like a poem.
It's important to note that the language style is poetic prose, especially powerful when linked with the vivid descriptions of the people and places. You should mention how the contextual factors (e.g. 20s society, prohibition, expectation of women, wealth...) may have influenced the language that Fitzgerald uses. There is quote during his first party when he described a female guests as a 'great orchid of a lady' which is symbolic of the glamour and wealth associated with orchids themselves but also of the expectation of women in that area of society to be glamorous but also innocent and pure (orchids are usually white -- white = innocence)
Second
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is written in a lavish style, which is befitting a work that focuses on status, money, and the corrupting effects of wealth. Each character’s social position is clearly reflected in their speaking style. The story is narrated by Nick Carraway, a young Minnesota man who has moved to New York to learn the bond business, and it is apparent from the very beginning of the story that while Nick is far from wealthy, he makes up for it in depth of language. Although his dialogue is markedly reserved, the narration he provides the reader is of another character entirely:
“The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.”
There is a sense in the novel that the wealthier the character, the more anemic their vocabulary. This has nothing to do with the character having a poor education; rather Fitzgerald uses this to show their superficial nature. In Nick’s eyes, even inanimate objects have life and meaning (“the lights grow brighter as the earth lurches away from the sun”), but the aristocrats of East Egg speak in short, clipped sentences. Nick’s cousin Daisy Buchanan, a moneyed East Egg beauty, is described as having “a voice full of money,” but her dialogue is shallow and repetitive:
“I’ll tell you a family secret,” she whispered enthusiastically. “It’s about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?”
Daisy speaks this way throughout the novel. She always seeks to draw attention to herself, jumps quickly from topic to topic, but rarely ever says anything of substance.
Though he lives in West Egg with the rest of the nouveau riche, Jay Gatsby is another example of this. His dialogue is a carefully crafted mimicry of what he believes the fabulously wealthy speak like — unfailingly polite, but with the unusual habit of calling everyone “old sport.” Unfortunately, this is what gives him away as new money.
“That’s a great expression of yours, isn’t it?” said Tom sharply.“What is?”“All this ‘old sport’ business. Where’d you pick that up?”
This artificial way of speaking is so ingrained in Gatsby that even when he is given the opportunity to confront Tom and release five years of pent up yearning for Daisy, he cannot drop it:
“Not seeing,” said Gatsby. “No, we couldn’t meet. But both of us loved each other all the time, old sport, and you didn’t know.”
In contrast, consider how Fitzgerald uses language to portray those characters who are not affluent yet wish they were. When Tom brings Nick to the city and insists he attend a party at the apartment he keeps for his mistress, Nick meets several of the neighbors. As a new face, Nick is a valuable commodity to these social climbers; he’s a blank slate on which they can impress their forged status, and so they spend the evening putting on airs. However, their manners and vocabulary give them away:
“My dear,” she told her sister in a high, mincing shout, “most of these fellas will cheat you every time. All they think of is money. I had a woman up here to look at my feet, and when she gave me the bill you’d of thought she had my appendicitis out.”
“You’d of” instead of “you would have.” “Appendicitis” instead of “appendix.” Fitzgerald achieves great characterization with these details.
Third
Fourth
No comments:
Post a Comment