The Great Gatsby: Context (OCR A Level English Literature)

The Great Gatsby: Context

Context should inform, but should never dominate, your reading of the text. Any comments on context must consider the significance and influence of the contexts in which the text was written and received. When exploring context for The Great Gatsby, you should consider primarily the literary context, and then include any other relevant contexts as appropriate to the question. Each of the topics below link directly to the key themes and ideas in The Great Gatsby:

• Literary context

• Social context

• Historical context

Literary context

When considering a novel’s literary context, it is important to explore the form and genre it is written in, as well as anything the novel might do that defies the expectations of a particular genre. The Great Gatsby is considered an excellent example of Modernism and Realism. The section below will explore Modernism and Realism in relation to the novel in more detail.

Modernism

The term Modernism refers to a literary movement that began early in the 20th century, which focused on contemporary elements in an attempt to break with the past. The idea of Modernism was to challenge romantic, sentimental novels by focusing on individual experience in a world that was rapidly being industrialised. 

Some of the key elements of Modernism include:

• Playing with time and taking a nonlinear approach

• First-person narration rather than third person narration or multiple narrators

• Use of language with multiple meanings

• Isolation and/or alienation

• Deliberate obscurity of meaning

• Including themes that challenge ideas in society or to critique ideas in society

Realism

While Modernism focuses on perspective, Realism attempts to create literature in which the world is presented as it exists. It was a dramatic shift from Romanticism, which had dominated literature prior to the introduction of Realism. Its purpose is to present everyday experiences as they are in real life, even if they are monotonous and mundane. It represents people, places and stories in a real and believable way. 

Some of the key elements of Realism include:

• Realistic characters

• Realistic setting

• A feasible plot

• An importance placed on depicting social class

• A tendency to avoid over-dramatising or romanticising a story

Modernism and Realism in The Great Gatsby

• Fitzgerald uses elements of Modernism and Realism in The Great Gatsby:

  • He includes symbolism and figurative language, which is used in Modernism, and blends it with the social and plausible scenarios of Realism

• The characterisation of vehicles reflects the modernist anxieties around the advancement of technology

• However, Fitzgerald also uses the novel as a critique of the American Dream, and uses realistic characters to highlight its false promises

• He explores how characters function in their social circles and his portrayal of certain groups of people is an examination of American society and its flaws

• Alienation and isolation is a key theme in Modernism:

  • The narrator, Nick Carraway, is alienated from the rest of the characters, as he is from the Midwest and they are from New York

  • His intention at the start of the novel is to make it in finance

  • As a result, he does not really fit in with the upper-classes and the company that Gatsby surrounds himself with

• Gatsby is also alienated:

  • He has isolated himself through his obsession with amassing enough wealth to win Daisy over

  • We can infer that his focus throughout his life was his pursuit of Daisy, and so any “friendships” he has are either for business or to get to Daisy

  • He is unable to tell people how he amassed his fortune, which further isolates him and he creates unbelievable stories about his past

  • He hosts many parties which are well attended, but is ultimately alone and a lonely figure

• As a result, the novel blends Realism with elements of Modernism

Social context

A novel’s social context can be thought of as the social and political environment in which it was written, and the social and political environment in which it is understood. Through The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald offers a critique of American society and its values during the 1920s, which is also known as the Jazz Age. This is explored in more detail below.

The Roaring Twenties

• The Roaring Twenties, which is also known as the Jazz Age (a term coined by the author), is a significant theme in the novel:

  • The author created the phrase “Jazz Age” to describe the superficial and decadent culture that encapsulated the 1920s

• This time period in American history was characterised by economic prosperity, cultural vigour and changes within society

• The Roaring Twenties serves as both a backdrop and a central theme that captures the essence of a transformative period in American history:

  • The novel explores the cultural, social and moral dynamics of the era and offers a critical lens on the hopes and pitfalls of the Jazz Age

• The novel captures the spirit of the era through its depiction of extravagant parties and a culture of excess:

  • Gatsby’s lavish parties at his mansion highlight the decadence associated with the era

• The 1920s was an era of significant cultural shifts, which included the rise of jazz music, changes in fashion and new forms of entertainment:

  • The novel reflects these changes with the characters participating in the cultural scene of the time, including Gatsby’s parties

• There was a significant influx of wealth through new business ventures, which challenged the established social hierarchy:

  • This can be seen with Gatsby, who represents new money through business, and Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who represent old money

• The 1920s also saw a shift in gender roles, with women exerting their independence and participation in the workforce:

  • Jordan Baker, a professional golfer in the novel, represents the “New Woman” by being the embodiment of independence

• The novel is set during a time in which the world was rapidly changing and Gatsby’s reinvention of himself and his pursuit of the American Dream exemplify this:

  • Characters in the novel, such as the narrator, are caught up in a quest for identity and meaning amid the social upheavals of the time period

• The 1920s is also often associated with a sense of moral decay, which is marked by a disregard for traditional values:

  • Instead, the focus was individualism and superficial pleasure

• It was also a time of innovation, as interest in automobiles increased during the time and became a symbol of wealth and status

• While the “Jazz Age” was a time of prosperity and economic expansion, through the novel, Fitzgerald highlights the darker and negative side of the era

  • He focuses on the superficial, shallow and hypocritical side, which leads to tragedy

• Fitzgerald was uncomfortable with the excesses of that period and his novel serves as a warning against an excessive love for money and materialistic things

• Through particular characters’ actions and their consequences, Fitzgerald highlights the destructive nature of a life of excess

  • An example of this could be seen with the hit-and-run involving Gatsby’s car and Myrtle

Historical context

Whilst background knowledge of the historical context in which a text was written and received is useful, any reference to historical context should be made judiciously and linked carefully to the themes in the novel and the focus of the exam question. Below you will find some comments about historical context relevant to the key themes and ideas in the novel.

• F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on 24th September 1896

• Fitzgerald based the characters of Nick Carraway and Gatsby on his own life:

  • Like Gatsby, he was not from a particularly wealthy family, but became rich and famous when his debut novel “This Side of Paradise” was a success

  • He also struggled to belong, as he was seen as part of “new money” and so never truly fit into the well-established circles of high society, much like Gatsby 

• Fitzgerald struggled with alcoholism and moved to Long Island with his wife

• The division between “old money” and “new money” was clear:

  • This provided Fitzgerald with inspiration for the locations of East Egg and West Egg in the novel

• Also, like Gatsby, Fitzgerald fell in love with a girl when he was young:

  • Her name was Ginerva King and it has been suggested that she was the real inspiration for Daisy Buchanan

  • He was not allowed to marry her as her father stated “poor boys shouldn’t think of marrying rich girls”

• Tom Buchanan, the antagonist in the novel and obstacle in the way of Gatsby and Daisy’s love, is said to have been based on Ginerva King’s father

• Fitzgerald also took inspiration for the character of Jordan Baker from a woman who mixed in the same social circles and was a professional golfer

• Fitzgerald’s references to World War I and the base camps are also based on his real life experiences, as he served in the army during World War I