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 AMERICAN DREAM The  Declaration of Independence  by J. Trumbull (1819) The phrase  American Dream  refers to the idea that America is a land of unlimited opportunities for everybody, no matter who, or how poor they are; a land where everybody can enjoy freedom and has the possibility of improving their social condition and pursue1 happiness. Although the term  American Dream  was coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams in his book The Epic of America, the idea was developed in the eighteenth century. It is already present in the Declaration of Independence of 1776, in which Thomas Jefferson, who later became the third American president, stated that  all men are created equal and independent  and that they have some fundamental2, inalienable3 rights,  among which are the preservation of life, and liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.  Benjamin Franklin, who was another member of the Committee which wrote down the Declaration of Independence and one of the most important men of his time, better defined the American Dream in his Autobiography, published in 1793. In it, he provided a sort of guide to happiness and economic prosperity4 and, through his own story, 1. to pursue: to try to obtain. 2. fundamental: of great importance, essential to the existence of something. 40 3. inalienable: that cannot be removed. 4. prosperity: the condition of being rich. 

exalted the efforts of the  self-made man , that is, the one who succeeds thanks only to himself. He said that he had been a poor boy who did not even have enough money to buy food, but who had risen in society thanks to constant application and hard work. He had succeeded because he had always tried to improve himself and to be morally correct. Actually, Franklin identified thirteen necessary virtues, among which: frugality5, hard work, determination, sincerity and justice. The reward for this virtuous behaviour of his had been success, wealth and happiness. B. Franklyn The optimistic idea that, in America, success was possible for everybody can be seen throughout the nineteenth century as well. It worked as a sort of motor behind the great industrial and technological development of the nation, behind the expansion westward and the mass migration of all those people who left Europe, hoping to find freedom from tyranny and better living conditions in the new world. However, for millions of people from the poorer classes, the American Dream remained only a dream. Ethnic minorities, especially black people and Native Americans, were immediately excluded from it, immigrants faced very hard living and work conditions, as did workers in the new factories and poor farmers. Slavery was abolished after the Civil War (1861   1865), but racism and social injustice remained. In the period described by Fitzgerald, the Dream had changed into something different. If, at first, it had meant the right to create a better life thanks to personal merit, in the 1920s it had become the mere6 desire of obtaining money and material success, no matter by what means. The Dream had been corrupted and betrayed7, and this is what is shown in The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald, however, was not the only writer who described the corruption of the old ideals; many other authors centred their novels on this theme, showing the many faces and illusory quality of the American Dream. Some examples are Upton Sinclair and Theodore Dreiser. The former, in The Jungle (1906), describes the terrible conditions and the exploitation8 of immigrants in Chicago. The latter, in An American Tragedy, published, like The Great Gatsby, in 1925, shows how the desire for material success can lead to ruin, crime and death, when it is not limited and controlled by moral principles. 5. frugality: the quality of being careful in the use of food and money, without excesses. 6. mere: being nothing better or nothing more than. 7. to betray: to be disloyal to someone or something. 8. exploitation: the fact of using someone s work unfairly to obtain a profit. 41 

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

Flowbooks è una piattaforma di distribuzione dedicata al mondo della scuola e dell'università.  Con questa piattaforma di distribuzione, il team di sviluppo Flowbooks  si impegna a soddisfare le esigenze degli utenti digitali, rendendo l'utilizzo accessibile e piacevole.  Entra nella tua area di interesse!

Edisco è una Casa editrice indipendente che opera prevalentemente nel settore educativo.

Edisco

Flowbooks è innovazione didattica a portata di click