"Reading over what I have written so far, I see I have given the impression that the events of three nights several weeks apart were all that absorbed me."
This sentence brings up, whether intentional or not I am not sure, something quite peculiar. It refers to what has happened up until now as written, as if in a book. At the same time however, as evidence by "that absorbed me." it is indeed Nick saying this. Allow me to reiterate, Nick has now acknowledged that the past three weeks of his life have been written, and has inferred that he is in fact the one writing it.
So does this mean that Nick knows he's in a book? He never directly talks about himself being in a book, this section seems like it would belong in an autobiography. In fact since seeing this, I've realized that much of this book is written in the style of an autobiography, so is that in fact the genre? I suppose what I am in essence asking is whether this book is not just a work of fiction, but someones life experiences portrayed in the first person through the writing style of a completely unrelated author.
I actually went back and read page 55 again because i had not noticed that passage the first time through. From my prespective, it seems as though Nick does realize he is in a novel. After what you have quoted, that whole page addresses the reader, seemingly explaining the other aspects of his life besides for the parties. I believe he shows these others aspects of his life soely for the reader, to understand his whole life, and not just his partying side. Before this, Nick has never addressed the reader and it would be interesting if he continued to do this throughout the novel. Talking directly to the reader most times creates a relateable, more trustworthy character. My only question is why would he have Nick know he is in a novel, does it actually add an aspect to the book? Any other opinions?
ReplyDeleteThis is definitely a thought-provoking post, and I think the book will only get deeper from here. Fitzgerald is going somewhere with his point, whether it be social commentary or autobiography, and will most definitely leave us in much more shock and awe than we originally thought we would be after reading "The Great Gatsby". Like Christie said, we will learn so much more and pick up so much more when we read it a second time.
ReplyDeleteI think it is a large possibility that this is an autobiography of Fitzgerald, due to what we learned about him in class. We learned about the relationship with his wife was slowly destroyed due to argument, thanks to the alcohol. This could be why everything is viewed with a negative connotation, as "the roaring twenties" destroyed Fitzgerald's marriage, although it could just be coincidence, as I am not quite sure as to when this book was written in comparison to when his marriage fell apart. Another aspect of writing this through autobiography could be to portray "the roaring twenties" as the hype, only to be knocked down. That being said, a question I have is, how does Fitzgerald feel about "the roaring twenties"? Do you think it is portrayed as enticing now, only to be knocked down later?
Fascinating, fascinating! You have all hit upon a key part of this novel... that Nick, himself, is the "author". It seems as if he is trying to record the events of the summer of 1922, in a memoir-type form. It would be worthwhile to investigate chronology. Fitzgerald lived from 1896 to 1944, and published Gatsby (at the enviable age of 29!) in 1925. He therefore wrote and published the book before the Great Depression began, and when the "Roaring Twenties" were at their peak. Hmmm... Leslie, do you want to do a little biographical research?
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ReplyDelete"He never directly talks about himself being in a book".
ReplyDeleteThis is not true."Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book, was exempt from my reaction". This is a quote from page two of the book, which clearly acknowledges to the reader that it is a book. Your interpretation of the quote you selected is one I have never seen the like of before. You appear to believe that nick is not entirely aware of his position of narrator or the fact that his words are being put to paper. You go on to ask what style of book this is and seem to be 'fixated' on the fact that Fitzgerald is the 'true' author. I think that Fitzgerald wrote to give the impression of someone writing his or her memoirs. I cite the quote I used in the start of my response for this. When reading we must ‘forget’ Fitzgerald and ‘pretend’ that this is an actual memoir of the man named Nick Carraway.
Hey, sorry about the deleted post there was a small error on that one and i decided to just get rid of it.
ReplyDeleteAnyways. to continue my post:
When looking at the story in this way the significance of the quote you chose changes significantly. It becomes a statement of clarification from nick to the people who he knows will be reading the book. Nick simply wishes to address what he feels is the possibility of the reader forming an opinion due to Nick's selective omission and style of description.
One correction to my earlier comment... Fitzgerald died in 1940, not 1944. Sorry for the error!
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