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

AFTER READING   The Tragedy 5 Chapter e. Tom and Daisy .................................. be so careless and selfish. f. Nick and the Buchanans ................................. meet again in the future. g. Gatsby s guests ................................. have been real friends, because none of them went to the funeral. h. Wolfsheim ................................. gone to the funeral. He was Gatsby s friend! WORKING ON SKILLS Listening 5 You will hear a passage taken from the novel. Listen and answer the questions. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. Did Klipspringer give his name straight away? Why didn t Nick want the news of the funeral to be in the papers? When and what time was the funeral? Did Nick think Klipspringer was calling about the funeral? What did Nick wish Klipspringer would do? What excuse did Klipspringer make not to be at the funeral? What did Klipspringer really want? Do you think Nick granted his wish? Why do you think so? Writing 6 B2 First Write an essay using about 140-190 words. Use the questions as a guide. Which character do you find most interesting in The Great Gatsby? What do you know about him/her? Speaking 7 Work with a partner. Act out a possible conversation between the postman of West Egg (the one who went to the cemetery) and one of the inhabitants of the village, who wants to know about the funeral. 96 

E X T E N S I O N THE THEMES OF THE GREAT GATSBY WORKING ON THE TEXT Through the events and the personalities of the characters, Fitzgerald explores a variety of themes which are all interlinked1 one with the other and which reflect the historical period in which he wrote. Among them, the most important are: Barriers between different social classes and the importance of money. The main characters are defined by their money and their social position. Tom and Daisy were born with money, so they belong to a sort of aristocracy who live apart from the common people. Symbolically, in fact, they live at the more fashionable end of the bay, while the newly rich live at the opposite end. On the contrary, Gatsby is a self-made man, who has become rich thanks to his own efforts, but not through hard work and endless application; his new money was not obtained by honest means. He does not have a respectable social position and he will never be accepted by the group of Tom and Daisy. By means of his money, he desperately tries to repeat the past and make Daisy love him again. Since he had met her, she had become for him the living symbol of a better world, of a life of wealth and beauty that he could only dream of as a boy. So, she was not only desirable in herself, but because she belonged to a rich, upper class family. 1. interlinked: joined together, so that each part influences the others. 97 

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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