• ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’: The Great Gatsby in the 1980s

    Author(s):
    Andrew Newman (see profile)
    Date:
    2018
    Group(s):
    American Literature
    Item Type:
    Article
    Tag(s):
    Great Gatsby, Reception studies
    Permanent URL:
    http://dx.doi.org/10.17613/a45z-hb71
    Abstract:
    This essay illustrates the application of reception study, the subfield of literary history that emphasises the historical experiences of readers, to pedagogical contexts by investigating the teaching of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) in American high schools during the 1980s. Focusing on the episode in which Jay Gatsby leads Nick and Daisy on a tour of his mansion, the analysis draws on published lesson plans and other primary source documents and reimagines the contemporary cultural contexts to reconsider the novel’s lessons about social class during a decade that saw escalating wealth disparity, mirroring Fitzgerald’s 1920s and anticipating our present.
    Metadata:
    Published as:
    Journal article    
    Status:
    Published
    Last Updated:
    2 years ago
    License:
    All Rights Reserved

    Downloads

    Item Name: pdf lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous-the-great-gatsby-in-the-1980s.pdf
      Download View in browser
    Activity: Downloads: 271