Composers express their disparate concerns, such as one’s perception of love, and opinions on society through the manipulation of their respective textual forms. This is observed in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby (1925), where through the manipulation of the novel form, the author directs the audience’s attention to the progression of the characters’ transformations by using techniques such as contrast, motif and extended metaphors in order to establish the distinction between the differing perspectives of the characters. Through the exploration of post- WWI America as an ebullient world overcome by hedonism and materialism, the author emphasises a character’s transformation, characterised by a change in perceptions, judgements …show more content…
Likewise, Elizabeth Barret Browning’s amatory sequence of sonnets, Sonnets from the Portuguese (1850), charts the progress of the author’s journey within a newfound romantic relationship as the author espouses the revitalisation of joy and love in her life. Browning presents her transformation through the contrast of the sonnets against her time period, being the Victorian era. In doing so, Browning rejects the Petrarchan sonnet form for a feminine-lead style; engaging in a role reversal which abandons the conservative societal values of the Victorian era. Therefore, it is examined that through the relevant contexts and textual forms of their respective texts, Browning and Fitzgerald highlight the various transformations in character, allowing the audience to further understand the transformative power of societal influences, such as reputation, wealth and status and personal interests such as love and …show more content…
Written during the Victorian era, the author presents an amatory sequence of sonnets cast against her time to highlight the appreciation of the revitalisation of love and female expression of a male literary form amid an era synonymous with conservatism, repression and rigid moral behaviour and how she overcomes these obstacles. Browning explores the notion of finding such love in a world surrounded by obstacles and disappointment in Sonnet 1, as seen in “I once heard Theocritus had sung/ Of the sweet years, the dear and wished for years/Who each one in a gracious hand appears/ TO bear a gift for mortals, old or young/I mused in his antique tongue...” The quote depicts the author’s search for emotional connection and inner peace as she calls on the muse of Theocritus, whose poetry surrounded that of love and sentiment. It also portrays her initial perception of herself, as it presents Browning as not having the confidence to pursue love, and thereby straying from reality to enter the realm of the imaginative, so as to evade the possible risk of rejection. The quote introduces a sense of hope yet simultaneously as sense of despondency as she calls on a muse of love and emotional connection, yet is unable to perceive one of her own, as seen in “I saw, in
Written during and regarding the 1920s, ‘The Great Gatsby’ by F. Scott Fitzgerald is both a representation of this distinctive social and historical context, and a construction of the composer’s experience of this era. Beliefs and practises of the present also play a crucial role in shaping the text, in particular changing the way in which literary techniques are interpreted. The present-day responder is powerfully influenced by their personal experiences, some of which essentially strengthen Fitzgerald’s themes, while others compete, establishing contemporary interpretations of the novel.
With beautiful language unprecedented by any work up to date, Fitzgerald presents a work thematically and aesthetically profound. His characters are remarkably applicable to modern behavior as they express commonly felt sentiments. Critics are truly astounded at Fitzgerald’s poeticism and metaphorical writing style; we can hardly believe that Gatsby is a work by the disregarded magazine columnist. We hope to see more quality works from Fitzgerald.
The ethics of society in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby are clearly noted through the endless partying, fancy houses, and the lavishness of their lives. Time and time again Fitzgerald displays his skills of developing his characters through plots and scenes of enchanting parties and mansions. Through these scenarios, the reader develops a sense of the purposelessness of the rich, the values of West and East Egg society, and Gatsby. Each individual scene reveals the subtle nuances of each and every character. Is shown to the reader in such a way that the reader picks up an idea of who each character is. By a landslide, the Great Gatsby owes a lot of its character development to its settings. The settings of The Great Gatsby provides for its substantial character development.
Bruccoli, Matthew Joseph, ed. (2000). F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: A Literary Reference. New
Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby can perhaps be argued to be one of the greatest American novels of the twentieth century. There are multitudes of reasons why this phenomenal novel is found on almost every English desk around the country. This award winning work of art can be identified for its unique characters which many can resonate with. Fitzgerald 's style of writing incorporates relatable themes which interest readers and often creates an emotional connection. Whether it may be Gatsby 's ambition, or his romantic flaws, everyone can find a piece of themselves within the novel. Regardless of the setting in an audacious period in history known as the Roaring 20’s, readers today continue to enjoy the novel due to its common themes and relativity to modern
Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
To become something you are not is to reinvent yourself. Reinvention can occur at any time and for any reason. A person can only reinvent themselves as far as they are willing to go. Most of the time, characters in books can reinvent themselves easier than living human beings. That being said, in the novel “The Great Gatsby”, Fitzgerald writes about reinvention by talking about the extent one is willing to go, the cost, and how one Jay Gatsby attempts to reinvent himself.
Sutton, Brian. "Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby." Explicator 59.1 (Fall 2000): 37-39. Rpt. in Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism. Ed. Linda Pavlovski. Vol. 157. Detroit: Gale, 2005. Literature Resource Center. Web. 24 Feb. 2011.
EBB expertly manipulates the Petrarchan sonnet form, commonly known as a way to objectify women, in order to voice her yearning for true love. The Victorian era was witness to rapid industrialization, and with this came a growing superficiality for dowry’s and status. EBB accentuates her own context by so strongly rejecting its newly materialistic conventions, especially towards love. EBB laments ‘How Theocritus had sung’ (Sonnet I), her Greco allusion successfully communicating her longing to return to the values of substantial love during the romantic era. This highlights her own context as it illustrates a distain for its current values of superficiality. Furthermore, EBB conveys her contempt of having to ‘fashion into speech’ (Sonnet XIII) her love, this mocking of courting is highly explored as she continues to ridicule those who love for ‘Her smile, her look’ (Sonnet XIV), thus highlighting her context to the audience. In addition, during Sonnet XXXII, EBB powerfully voices how ‘Quick loving hearts…may quickly loathe’; her expert employment of anadiplosis critiques how superficiality in love may cause it to fade away. A motif of love fading away due to shallowness throughout her sonnet progression significantly highlights the values of love at the time and therefore
F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most compelling twentieth century writers, (Curnutt, 2004). The year 1925 marks the year of the publication of Fitzgerald’s most credited novel, The Great Gatsby (Bruccoli, 1985). With its critiques of materialism, love and the American Dream (Berman, 1996), this dramatic idyllic novel, (Harvey, 1957), although poorly received at first, is now highly regarded as Fitzgerald’s finest work (Rohrkemper, 1985) and is his publisher, Scribner 's most popular title, (Donahue, 2013). The novel achieved it’s status as one of the most influential novels in American history around the nineteen fifties and sixties, over ten years after Fitzgerald 's passing, (Ibid, 1985)
Robert Browning’s Porphyria’s Lover skillfully epitomizes the male desire to dominate women in all spheres of life during the Victorian Era. This power construct is foregrounded as the dominant reading through a range of literary devices in the poem, pertaining to gender roles. Originally, the dramatic monologue highlights Porphyria and her strong presence in contrast to her passive male lover.
In “Sonnet XVII,” the text begins by expressing the ways in which the narrator does not love, superficially. The narrator is captivated by his object of affection, and her inner beauty is of the upmost significance. The poem shows the narrator’s utter helplessness and vulnerability because it is characterized by raw emotions rather than logic. It then sculpts the image that the love created is so personal that the narrator is alone in his enchantment. Therefore, he is ultimately isolated because no one can fathom the love he is encountering. The narrator unveils his private thoughts, leaving him exposed and susceptible to ridicule and speculation. However, as the sonnet advances toward an end, it displays the true heartfelt description of love and finally shows how two people unite as one in an overwhelming intimacy.
“The film adaptation of The Great Gatsby directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2013 is almost as ingenious as the novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. It is easily understood, and keeps the audience attentive up until the very end. The sceneries, in most cases are very close to the description given in the novel and are very pleasing to the eye. Even the actors are well cast in most instances. The costuming fits the description of the 1920s perfectly, the computer generated imagery technology enhances the themes of the film and the music is appeals to the audiences’ auditory senses among other things which are to be explained below. Another aspect that makes a great contribution to the film’s greatness is the narration.
Love was something that was displayed in both the Romantic Era and The Victorian Era when reading authors work during their time. Yet with comparison of the two there has been a lot of ways to distinguish authors from the Romantic Era, and the Victorian Era. Elizabeth Browning’s “From the Sonnet from the Portuguese” she takes love into her own scenery when writing from a woman’s view. She was able to use the Romantics values as well, and still shape love around the Victorian Era. She makes it very distinguishable to where the audience could know how she would go back and forth to show her love for Robert. In the sonnets there were times where she would describe the love for Robert through beauty and also of nature. With the Victorian age he loves wraps around the religious values of faith, the heavens, and the afterlife.
---. “Sonnet: England in 1819.” The Longman Anthology: British Literature: Volume 2A – The Romantics and Their Contemporaries. Ed. David Damrosch. New York: Addison-Wesley Educational Publishers Inc., 2003. 761.