This week in my life several of my friends finished reading The Great Gatsby. Because I very much enjoyed see the different perspectives in the LitCrit I thought maybe I should share the information I took away from reading the 'Queer Theory' on Gatsby with my friends. Maybe have a fun little discussion? I was met with ridicule. To defend myself against verbal abuse I obrained a copy of Queer Theory from Ms. Valentino and persuaded my friends to attempt to read it. Here, are the results.
Jack Percy (Perc)
Jack, what are your thoughts on the theory I proposed to you?
Uh, to be honest, I read your article and I just saw a lot of stretches and it was trying really hard to prove that Nick was gay. But, in the book he was clearly with Jordan, and went on dates with Jordan, he like hugged her, he said he felt a different way about her, so... I definitely don't agree with your theory.
Did you read at all on how there's evidence that Fitzgerald himself was a little confused with his sexuality?
I, uh, did not get to that part. Why would that influence? Are you tryna say that he was trying to express himself through Nick?
That's exactly what I am saying.
So, my thoughts on that... I guess that could kinda make sense. I don't know, I still don't agree. He was clearly with Jordan the entire time.
Nick and Jordan ended just as Gatsby and Daisy ended.
Okay. So...this is my interview?
Yeah, I guess. I don't have more questions
Andrew Hadad (Ange)
How much did you really read?
I skimmed over the highlighted parts and the first few pages.
Did you read the last few pages on Fitzgerald's personal life?
Nah
Awesome. Can you please?
Of course, Yazzy. If that's what you want.
Did I change your mind?
The Fitzgerald thing, dressing up on a girl on numerous occasions, I think that he might be gay. But, I don't think he tried to portray Nick as gay...is that fair?
Did it at least interest you in any way?
Uh, yea, I found it interesting. It made me realize things I didn't see before. Like how Jordan could be a boy or girl name, well I knew that, I didn't think of it here though. Like, he was giving a lot of details and that was good.
Did you think that was interesting, that all those little details could be there? It's a lot to simply be a coincidence.
Yea, I found it interesting. I found it so interesting, you can type it S-O-O-O to make yourself sound better.
What piece of information did you find most convincing?
Definitely NOT the pink suit. I would say Tom being homophobic, shows that Fitzgerald could have put Nick being gay as an underlying theme in the book. It places him and Nick just even farther apart and highlights Tom, being such a terrible guy. Because he is, am I right?
You are so right
Thank you.
Do you just think this article is just reading into the text too much?
um...Yea, for sure. I don't know what else to say to that...
Yea, that was kinda just a statement...I just changed my intonation at the end. I think we're done.
I like to believe the boys are just being stubborn. But, as closing remarks, I really hope this doesn't reflect poorly on me to associate with people who got in trouble with Ms. Valentino in the past... That would stink :( They're smart, and kinda funny sometimes... I swear.
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Now, I Ain't Sayin' She a Gold Digger...
Hi guys, it's midnight. :) On that note let's talk about Fitzgerald's problems-his white girl problems. From what we have read, a startling amount of the portrayals of women in Fitzgerald's work are not exactly flattering. Women are viewed as flighty, vain, and above all-shallow. This could be due to the anti-feminist views Fitzgerald may have held, but I believe they reflect conflict he had with his wife Zelda. As we know, Zelda was a southern belle who refused to consider Fitzgerald as a serious suitor until he acquired his wealth. That could cause someone to grow rather resentful. Which may have manifested itself in constantly writing female characters who were preoccupied with having wealthy men to take care of them.
In other news, I believe Fitzgerald and Kanye West have some of the same experiences with women; many Kanye West lyrics can be applied to works of Fitzgerald. This is actually my blog post. Please stop laughing. This is real. Some logic will be involved. Kanye's mom was an English professor at Chicago State University; she probably made him read books.
Among West's most well known songs is 'Gold Digger' with a well known hook, 'Now I ain't sayin' she a gold digger/but she ain't messin' with no broke...' we all know that Daisy, Judy, Kismine, and Zelda do not mess with broke men. More specifically West talks about his love for this woman who may in fact be using him, 'From what I heard she got a baby by Busta,' Gatsby knows very well that Daisy has a baby by Buchanan. We also know that this makes Gatsby rather uncomfortable. But despite all he knows of Tom and Daisy (you know, that they're married with a child) he doesn't care. He wants Daisy because he is in love with her, this relates to the lyric 'I don't care what none of y'all say, I still love her.'
Another hit was 2008's 'Heartless' in which the hook states 'Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul/to a woman so heartless' Though the song also mentions 'cold' and 'winter' which could coincide with Winter's Dream, the hook most directly relates to none other than Jay Gatsby. Jay did 'lose his soul' when he made his money illegally; he lost his soul to Daisy in attempts to please her. Daisy is in fact 'a woman so heartless' because she ran over Myrtle without showing a great deal of grief.
Gatsby's great demise can also be related to the more recent song 'I Am a God' the song depicts the material success West has attained when he mentions getting his Porsche out of the garage, the millions he has amassed, and the massage he can receive at his beck and call. Though, he refers to all of them in a rather derogatory and disillusioned way; similarly Gatsby is not particularly happy with the luxurious home he has built for himself-he has a swimming pool he has never even used. Alas, the song ends with screaming. This could be looked at as musical tragedy-maybe not even music, a musical travesty rather-but, it could also be an homage to inner demons that consume Kanye despite his success, that he is being attacked and screaming out for help. Gatsby dies by being shot, which is, of course, an attack. Gatsby also bears a likeness to a crucified Christ in his death, and the song I am currently comparing his demise to is after all entitled, 'I Am a God'.
Finally, in 'Blood on The Leaves' West laments what could have been, and takes a walk down memory lane. 'We could've been somebody' is rather straightforward, and can compare to 1,001 lost loves (amongst them: Gatsby and Daisy, or Dexter and Judy). Typical of West's music the song also depicts a fast living lifestyle 'Let's take it back to the first party/When you tried your first molly'. Now, no one in any of Fitzgerald's work ever did molly, mainly because it did not yet exist-but we can look at this one of two ways. Obviously, Gatsby had many parties, and he would like very much to travel back in time with Daisy to simpler days. Referencing 'molly' can be a modern version of the excessive alcohol that was consumed in The Great Gatsby, getting drunk and losing inhibitions (Daisy's wedding day). But, molly is a pure form of ecstasy and this can allude to the pure bliss that Gatsby remembers experiencing with Daisy, the pure bliss he so desperately hoped to attain once more. But, in referencing 'the first molly' it alludes to the fact that Gatsby can never get what he is searching for. The pure bliss of the first high can't ever be attained again; the way he cannot go back in time and recreate the magic he first had with Daisy.
Well, that's it friends. Kanye West is not only Yeesus, but apparently he's also Scott Fitzgerald. Therefore Kim is Zelda, a socialite who has a way of making headlines, this comparison could spawn a whole new blog post but I seriously doubt any of you care to hear that. So I will collect my non-academic thoughts and go to sleep. Bye guys :)))
In other news, I believe Fitzgerald and Kanye West have some of the same experiences with women; many Kanye West lyrics can be applied to works of Fitzgerald. This is actually my blog post. Please stop laughing. This is real. Some logic will be involved. Kanye's mom was an English professor at Chicago State University; she probably made him read books.
Among West's most well known songs is 'Gold Digger' with a well known hook, 'Now I ain't sayin' she a gold digger/but she ain't messin' with no broke...' we all know that Daisy, Judy, Kismine, and Zelda do not mess with broke men. More specifically West talks about his love for this woman who may in fact be using him, 'From what I heard she got a baby by Busta,' Gatsby knows very well that Daisy has a baby by Buchanan. We also know that this makes Gatsby rather uncomfortable. But despite all he knows of Tom and Daisy (you know, that they're married with a child) he doesn't care. He wants Daisy because he is in love with her, this relates to the lyric 'I don't care what none of y'all say, I still love her.'
Another hit was 2008's 'Heartless' in which the hook states 'Somewhere far along this road, he lost his soul/to a woman so heartless' Though the song also mentions 'cold' and 'winter' which could coincide with Winter's Dream, the hook most directly relates to none other than Jay Gatsby. Jay did 'lose his soul' when he made his money illegally; he lost his soul to Daisy in attempts to please her. Daisy is in fact 'a woman so heartless' because she ran over Myrtle without showing a great deal of grief.
Gatsby's great demise can also be related to the more recent song 'I Am a God' the song depicts the material success West has attained when he mentions getting his Porsche out of the garage, the millions he has amassed, and the massage he can receive at his beck and call. Though, he refers to all of them in a rather derogatory and disillusioned way; similarly Gatsby is not particularly happy with the luxurious home he has built for himself-he has a swimming pool he has never even used. Alas, the song ends with screaming. This could be looked at as musical tragedy-maybe not even music, a musical travesty rather-but, it could also be an homage to inner demons that consume Kanye despite his success, that he is being attacked and screaming out for help. Gatsby dies by being shot, which is, of course, an attack. Gatsby also bears a likeness to a crucified Christ in his death, and the song I am currently comparing his demise to is after all entitled, 'I Am a God'.
Finally, in 'Blood on The Leaves' West laments what could have been, and takes a walk down memory lane. 'We could've been somebody' is rather straightforward, and can compare to 1,001 lost loves (amongst them: Gatsby and Daisy, or Dexter and Judy). Typical of West's music the song also depicts a fast living lifestyle 'Let's take it back to the first party/When you tried your first molly'. Now, no one in any of Fitzgerald's work ever did molly, mainly because it did not yet exist-but we can look at this one of two ways. Obviously, Gatsby had many parties, and he would like very much to travel back in time with Daisy to simpler days. Referencing 'molly' can be a modern version of the excessive alcohol that was consumed in The Great Gatsby, getting drunk and losing inhibitions (Daisy's wedding day). But, molly is a pure form of ecstasy and this can allude to the pure bliss that Gatsby remembers experiencing with Daisy, the pure bliss he so desperately hoped to attain once more. But, in referencing 'the first molly' it alludes to the fact that Gatsby can never get what he is searching for. The pure bliss of the first high can't ever be attained again; the way he cannot go back in time and recreate the magic he first had with Daisy.
Well, that's it friends. Kanye West is not only Yeesus, but apparently he's also Scott Fitzgerald. Therefore Kim is Zelda, a socialite who has a way of making headlines, this comparison could spawn a whole new blog post but I seriously doubt any of you care to hear that. So I will collect my non-academic thoughts and go to sleep. Bye guys :)))
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Gossip Gatsby
Well hello, Old Sport. In this week's reading of The Great Gatsby, I felt as though the events of the book were very...high school. Audacious as it may sound, and be, the characters' actions brought to mind the often foolish, and irrational actions of teenagers. Though Gatsby's setting feels very Gossip Girl, the events themselves mimic those of any-and every-stereotypical high school movie/TV show. But, I'm a self proclaimed 'Math Diva' so I guess that means these types of statements are okay-if I can back them up with mediocre and somewhat vague examples.
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Nick was appalled when he found that guests at Gatsby's party didn't even know him. Yet, how many shows and movies have you seen where the teen's party goes completely out of control and he or she ends up with a house full of strangers? I've ended up as a plus one at parties where I didn't know the host, or been at gatherings at a friend's house without the owner of the house even being home. At the time it seemed totally logical that I was in those situations; even in retrospect it seems at least somewhat logical. On a Friday or Saturday night everyone is just looking for a place to be, and things to do. Much like Gatsby's party, it isn't about why you're there-it's about being there. In the world of 1920's New York and in the modern day world of High School seeing-and being seen trumps most everything.
Up next would be the 'private time' between Daisy and Gatsby. The entire set up of Nick inviting Daisy over and Gatsby being nervous like a little school boy feels like the plot of a sitcom. Nick inviting Daisy over to 'hang out' with him and Gatsby seems quite a bit like being set up by a mutual friend. The way Nick decides to leave the room to stop being a third wheel had me laughing to myself; the situation was so awkward in such a familiar way. The chat between Gatsby and Nick after Gatsby and Daisy had their private 'chats' seemed like an old timey version of, 'Dude, did you guys hookup?' Because how often do two 'exes' just hang out alone in a room and just talk all night?
Finally, the way drinking is portrayed in Gatsby mirrors binge drinking in High School. The fact that the setting is during prohibition adds to the similarities; drinking is illegal for Gatsby and his guests just the way drinking is illegal for high school students. Yet, drinking takes place-and when it does it's pretty hardcore drinking. The guests at Gatsby's parties are a lot like high school parties in the sense that no one is just having a drink with dinner; both groups are drinking to get drunk. But, both groups need to keep this fact on the down low. The fiasco that was Daisy's wedding morning is much like the running joke that it's not a party until some girl cries about a boy not liking her. Daisy was the epitome of a girl getting drunk and crying over boys. But, rather than having just kissed a bad boy at a party, she married a bad guy and had a baby with him. #sadface
So all in all, I think I mean to say that I relate to The Great Gatsby? Or maybe just my inner Serena Van Der Woodsen does... But, I think that I can see the events of Gatsby as so 'High School' because Fitzgerald wants to show the characters and their actions as immature. No one, is quite so immature and selfish as teenagers. So the real question is, do we need to thank the teens for doing dumb things? As their actions serve as inspiration for the American Classic, The Great Gatsby. Or do we have The Great Gatsby to blame for the regrettable choices of today's youth?
xoxo
Gatsby Girl
So all in all, I think I mean to say that I relate to The Great Gatsby? Or maybe just my inner Serena Van Der Woodsen does... But, I think that I can see the events of Gatsby as so 'High School' because Fitzgerald wants to show the characters and their actions as immature. No one, is quite so immature and selfish as teenagers. So the real question is, do we need to thank the teens for doing dumb things? As their actions serve as inspiration for the American Classic, The Great Gatsby. Or do we have The Great Gatsby to blame for the regrettable choices of today's youth?
xoxo
Gatsby Girl
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