Gatsby critical quotes Flashcards
(23 cards)
Harold Bloom on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is a social climber, motivated more by ambition than true love.’
Matthew J Bruccoli on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is a hollow man, more of a performance than a real person.’
Roger Lewis on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is a modern tragic hero, destroyed by his own unrealistic ideals.’
Marius Bewley on Daisy
‘Daisy represents the corruption of the American Dream, embodying wealth, privilege, and emptiness.’
Leland S. Person on Daisy
‘She is not just a victim but a manipulator, using her beauty and charm to control men’
Harold Bloom on Nick
‘Nick is as much a dreamer as Gatsby, romanticising the past while pretending to be a realist.’
Ross Posnock on Nick
‘Nick is attracted to Gatsby’s dream but repulsed by its consequences, reflecting the contradictions of the American Dream.’
Matthew Bruccoli on Gatsby
‘Gatsby’s tragedy lies in his idealism and inability to accept reality.’
Miller JR on Gatsby
‘In Gatsby, we see the American Dream corrupted by wealth and social status.’
M W Smith on Nick
‘Nick represents the voice of reason in a world of excess and moral decay.’
Sarah Churchwell on Myrtle
‘Myrtle’s tragic end is a reflection of the empty promises of wealth and status.’
Lionel Trilling on Gatsby
‘Gatsby comes inevitably to stand for America itself.’
Harold Bloom on Gatsby
‘Fitzgerald was fascinated with the promises and the betrayals of wealth.’
Kathleen Parkinson on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is the apotheosis of the AD - and its betrayal.’
Tony Tanner on Gatsby
‘Gatsby lives in a world of the imagination, and not in the real world at all.’
Marius Bewley on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is destroyed because he tries to live in a dream.’
Sarah Churchwell on Gatsby
‘The AD was originally about discovery, individualism, and the pursuit of happiness. Gatsby believed in that dream- but its corruption ruined him.’
Rodgers and Clack on Gatsby
‘Gatsby tragedy is the tragedy of the American Dream.’
Matthew J. Bruccoli on Gatsby
‘Gatsby is the most hopeful character in American literature.’
Tara Fitzgerald on Gatsby
‘The novel exposes the emptiness of the upper class and the impossibility of true social mobility.’
Thomas Boyle on Nick
‘Nick is a self-conscious narrator who manipulates the story to justify his own moral position.’
Claire Stocks on Nick
‘Although Nick believes he is honest, he is clearly attracted to Gatsby’s lifestyle and glamour.’
Tony Tanner on Nick
‘He both participates and distances himself from the events- the classic unreliable narrator.’
