The Great Gatsby Mencken Analysis

The Great Gatsby
H. L Mencken, in his review of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, claims that the diction and syntax are impressive, deserving some credit. Mencken supports his claim by elaborating on the shallowness of Fitzgerald’s novel while acknowledging the careful, brilliant, and intelligent writing. The author’s purpose is to juxtapose Fitzgerald’s storyline with with his rhetorical genius, Mencken writes in a opinionated tone for the readers of the 1925 Baltimore newspaper, Evening Sun. Mencken building his creditability with specific detail from Fitzgerald’s work and employing a change of tone to reveal his opinions.
In his article, Mencken fist sets the stage by exposing the crucial storyline of The Great

Gatsby. Mencken writes in lines 22 to 26, “The garage keeper’s wife, rushing out upon the roads to escape her husband’s third degree, is run down and killed by the wife of her lover. The garage keeper, mislead by the lover, kills the lover of the lover’s wife—the Great Gatsby himself. In two short sentences Mencken uncovers the storyline in order to support his opinion that The Great Gatsby is “no more than a glorified anecdote.” This outpouring of indignance is revealed in a judgmental tone, moving the audience to feel resentment towards the storyline as well.
Toward the middle of his article, Mencken seems to shift from his judgmental tone to a more affectionate tone to explicate Fitzgerald’s use of adaptable syntax and diction. Mencken supports his statement in lines 51 to 53, “The sentences roll along smoothy, sparkling, variously. This is evidence in every line of hard and intelligent effort….” Mencken appends this in order to assist his stance of how “the charm and beauty of the writing” gives the story distinction. This flow of emotion from Mencken’s perspective conveys an admiring tone that reassures Fitzgerald’s careful placement of detail portrays penetrating second thoughts that allows easy reading.
Critic H.L. Mencken, in his article The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, claims that Fitzgerald’s use of rhetorical strategies enables the audience to peruse the book smoothly despite the fact that the storyline is unimportant.