New Historicism In The Great Gatsby Essay

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Gatsby and the Roaring Twenties: A New Historicist Interpretation F. Scott Fitzgerald created a timeless novel about love and wealth when he wrote The Great Gatsby. However, when one closely analyzes the work, it is apparent that he also crafted a social commentary about the state of society and the world during the decade of the 1920’s. Many literary critics and intellectuals have commented on Fitzgerald’s talent in regards to crafting a response to civilization during a specific time period, as well as his ability to blend his personal lifestyle choices into this commentary. “The basis of his work was self-scrutiny, but the actual product was an eloquent comment on the world” (Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1896-1940) 369). In order to understand …show more content…

“The decade is often associated with outrageousness” (Benson 1318). This rapid change in norms and ideals can be attributed to many factors, perhaps most importantly the growing economy. As the United States shifted towards materialism, some individuals believed that a society driven by excess greed and wealth would only lead to ruin. Fitzgerald seemed to share this viewpoint. In The Great Gatsby, many of the characters possess a substantial amount of money. At first the reader is led to believe that this lifestyle is glamorous and exciting, but as the narrative progresses, it becomes clearer that Fitzgerald viewed the rich in a somewhat negative light. “They smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness… and let other people clean up the mess they had made” (Fitzgerald 179). Whether it was Gatsby’s failure to win Daisy’s heart with material goods, Nick’s inability to get rich as a stock broker, or even the superficial fixation of the general public on the wealth of their fellow citizens, it is abundantly apparent that Fitzgerald regarded the growth of materialism and the economy as a potentially dangerous development that might steer humanity drastically off

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