The Great Gatsby The Language of the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
1
The Language of the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby is a novel that is centrally influenced by the Jazz Age for which Fitzgerald had so much affection. This was a period of wealth, affluence and decadence for many high-‐society Americans in the period immediately before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In turn, much of the novel, and its language, came to be influenced by the decadence of the time. It is impossible not to look at the language and images of the text as symbolic and characteristic of the decadence the novel describes. When we look at the language of the text, we need to be engaging with how Fitzgerald’s chosen images not only provide a narrative frame, but also how they are indicative of, and reflect, the time in which they are written.
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Language of the Jazz Age In the space below, copy a short extract from the text that specifically illustrates Fitzgerald’s pre-‐occupation with the Jazz Age. Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
2
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3
The Language of the Jazz Age
è Highlight descriptions of decadence and decadent description. è Next to each highlighted example, explain what, specifically, creates the decadence. è Comment on why you think Fitzgerald has used the language in this way. è Work in pairs to cut up and select words / phrases from your extract and use them to write a poem which shows the excess and decadence of the age in a positive light. Share your poems with your teacher and the rest of the class. What do the poems reveal? è Using the same extract, write another poem. This time, cut up and select words / phrases from your extract and use them to write a poem which shows the excess and decadence of the age in a negative light. Share your poems with your teacher and the rest of the class. What do the poems reveal?
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4
The Language of the Jazz Age è In the table below collect further examples of Fitzgerald’s description that allude to the materialism and decadence of the Jazz Age. QUOTATION
EFFECT ON READER
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
1
The Language of the Jazz Age
The Great Gatsby is a novel that is centrally influenced by the Jazz Age for which Fitzgerald had so much affection. This was a period of wealth, affluence and decadence for many high-‐society Americans in the period immediately before the Wall Street Crash of 1929. In turn, much of the novel, and its language, came to be influenced by the decadence of the time. It is impossible not to look at the language and images of the text as symbolic and characteristic of the decadence the novel describes. When we look at the language of the text, we need to be engaging with how Fitzgerald’s chosen images not only provide a narrative frame, but also how they are indicative of, and reflect, the time in which they are written.
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Language of the Jazz Age In the space below, copy a short extract from the text that specifically illustrates Fitzgerald’s pre-‐occupation with the Jazz Age. Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
2
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
3
The Language of the Jazz Age
è Highlight descriptions of decadence and decadent description. è Next to each highlighted example, explain what, specifically, creates the decadence. è Comment on why you think Fitzgerald has used the language in this way. è Work in pairs to cut up and select words / phrases from your extract and use them to write a poem which shows the excess and decadence of the age in a positive light. Share your poems with your teacher and the rest of the class. What do the poems reveal? è Using the same extract, write another poem. This time, cut up and select words / phrases from your extract and use them to write a poem which shows the excess and decadence of the age in a negative light. Share your poems with your teacher and the rest of the class. What do the poems reveal?
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
4
The Language of the Jazz Age è In the table below collect further examples of Fitzgerald’s description that allude to the materialism and decadence of the Jazz Age. QUOTATION
EFFECT ON READER
Copyright © 2010 TES English www.tes.co.uk
