Francis Scott Fitzgerald

adaptation by Cristina Gioli
 A great classic of American literature. Through the rise and fall of a fascinating young man, the novel shows the decadence of the “Jazz Age” America of the 1920s.
 Both tragic, romantic hero and criminal, Gatsby believes that money is the key to reach success and happiness, but above all to make his impossible dream of love come true. Despite his faults, he is passionate and sincere, while the other characters move through life superficially, irresponsibly and seem incapable of real feelings.
 In this story, Fitzgerald presents us with all the contradictions of the period: the thoughtless way of living of the prosperous classes in the 1920s, the poverty of the lower classes and the illusory quality of the “American Dream”.
 
 Teacher's Resources available online: Answer Key - Audioscripts - Key to Summing-up Activities.
 
 Attraverso l’ascesa e la caduta di un affascinante giovane, il romanzo tratta la decadenza dell’Età del Jazz nell’America degli Anni ’20.
 Allo stesso tempo eroe tragico/romantico e criminale, Gatsby crede che il denaro sia la chiave per il successo e la felicità, ma soprattutto per rendere reale il suo impossibile sogno d’amore.
 Con questa storia, Fitzgerald ci mostra tutte le contraddizioni del periodo: l’avventatezza delle classi più agiate, la povertà delle classi più basse e la qualità illusoria del cosiddetto sogno americano.

Chapter 1 – First Impressions

Extension: The Jazz Age

Chapter 2 – Parties, Meetings and Revelations

Extension: The American Dream

Chapter 3 – A Reunion

Extension: American literature in the 1920s

Chapter 4 – Death of a Dream

Extension: Modernism

Chapter 5 – The Tragedy

Extension: The Themes of The Great Gatsby

Summing-up activities

Glossary

E X T E N S I O N THE JAZZ AGE In the U.S.A., the decade that goes from the end of the 1st World War in 1918, to 1929 has been called the  Roaring1 Twenties , because it was a period of prosperity and disorder, or the  Jazz Age , because of the extreme popularity of this music genre. It was a period of great changes and violent contrasts. On the one hand, there was an economic boom and the middle classes enjoyed the highest standard of living ever, but on the other hand there was social unrest2 and political repression. The lower classes, both in towns and in the country, fought against low salaries and low profits. The changes involved every sector of society and also meant new morals and new patterns of behaviour. Young people rebelled against the rigid Puritanism of the previous generations, which had also imposed fixed roles for men and women. Women obtained the vote in 1920 and experienced greater independence, thanks also to the introduction of methods of birth control. They started to work outside the house and became more involved in politics. Many young women, in particular, adopted an unconventional lifestyle, which at the time was considered scandalous and immoral. They were called  Flappers . They abandoned the corset3 and wore short dresses   thus showing part of their legs   and high-heeled shoes. They used make-up and cut their hair short, usually in a bob4. Flappers drank alcohol, smoked in public, danced at jazz clubs and practised sexual freedom. Fitzgerald describes this new type of woman in The Great Gatsby. 1. roaring: loud and disorderly. Also: prosperous, successful. 2. unrest: a state of dissatisfaction involving protests and fighting between different groups. 3. corset: 4. bob: a hairstyle in which the hair is cut to neck length all around the head. 22 

The period was also characterised by great technological progress. The diffusion of the assembly LAMB line5 method in industry, for HOUSE example, led to the mass production and spread of automobiles and the consequent building of roads and highways. By the end of the decade, the radio was present in nearly every house and the movies had become an extremely popular form of entertainment. Many people spent these years in a frenetic, thoughtless way, living for pleasure and trying to get rich   or richer. Millions of new investors invaded the stock6 market and unlimited credit could be obtained on almost all types of goods. But the Jazz Age was also a period of reactionary politics and hostility towards the organisations of the workers   the Trade Unions.Throughout the U.S.A., the so called  Red scare , that is, the fear of Socialism and Communism, was the cause of many attacks on radicals and of new antiimmigrant feelings. These were caused by the idea that the European immigrants brought with them dangerous radical doctrines, and this, in turn, led to new laws that severely limited immigration. Racism rose; the members of the Ku Klux Klan, who primarily hated black people, but also Jews and Catholics, grew from a few thousand to several million. In 1919 a new law introduced Prohibition, that is the prohibition to produce, sell and transport alcoholic drinks. Those who had wanted it had hoped to reduce the crime and violence connected with heavy drinking, but in practice the law was largely ignored. Moreover, it became an opportunity to make money for many criminal organisations which imported and sold bootleg7 alcohol illegally. The profits deriving from these activities were enormous. The rise of the bootlegging gangs led to a succession of gang wars and murders   not only in New York, but also in other cities. The Jazz Age, this period of prosperity and wild excess, ended all of a sudden when the Stock Market in Wall Street collapsed in October 1929: stocks lost their value and billions of dollars were lost overnight, millions of investors were ruined, banks failed, factories were shut, unemployment and poverty spread. The Great Depression had begun and lasted for the next twelve years. 5. assembly line: a line of workers and machines in a factory, that progressively assemble a series of identical items. 6. stock: a share in the ownership of a particular company that the public can buy as an investment. 7. bootleg: adjective used to describe something that is produced and sold illegally. 23 

Narrativa inglese, livello B2 intermedio, il romanzo di Francis Scott Fitzgerald narra la decadenza dell’Età del Jazz nell’America degli Anni ’20.

The Great Gatsby - Collana RAINBOWS

Level B2 • Intermediate - Collana RAINBOWS

The Great Gatsby

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