MOD - Reading The Great Gatsby Lesson

Gatsby Chapters 1-3 

 It's now time to read the first three chapters of The Great Gatsby. Please use the study guide linked below to assist you as you read.

In some literary works, setting plays a central role in developing a story. In a novel, an author has an opportunity to establish several different settings and to use them to control the atmosphere of the story.

In chapter three of The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald uses a spectacular setting - Gatsby's mansion and yard on a summer evening - to create the brilliant atmosphere in which Nick, along with the reader, first meets Gatsby face to face. Notice how Fitzgerald's descriptions of the setting - "halls and salons and verandas....gaudy with primary colors," "yellow cocktail music," "voices and color under the constantly changing light" - help to create the boisterous mood that surrounds the beginning of the party.

Great Gatsby Reading Guide Link Download Great Gatsby Reading Guide Link

Self-Assessment

Complete the following self-assessment to check your understanding of chapters 1-3.

Gatsby Chapters 4-6

 Hopefully you are enjoying the book so far! Go ahead and read chapters 4-6 of The Great Gatsby. Don't forget that the study guide has been provided to help your reading comprehension.

Consider the following as you read:

Besides its precise definition, every word has connotations, or suggested meanings. For example, "spring" literally means "the season when plants start to grow," but its connotations include new beginnings, youth, renewed spirit, and hope.

In The Great Gatsby, Meyer Wolfsheim is a low-life gambler. His first name suggests the English word mire, meaning "dirt"; his last name suggests a savage animal. These connotations help to define his character. Look for other connotations associated with the characters as you read.

Furthermore, character is one of the most basic aspects of fiction. Most authors are interested in writing about a person's character because writers and readers alike are interested in what makes people behave as they do. Authors also use character, however, to investigate or illustrate some important idea, or theme.

One of Fitzgerald's major themes in The Great Gatsby concerns the crucial difference between the fantastic pursuit of a dream and the realization of it. Rather than stating this idea directly, Fitzgerald dramatizes it through characters' behavior. For instance, in chapter five Gatsby displays for Daisy and Nick all the riches he has accumulated to impress Daisy. The author's theme is visible in Gatsby's behavior: "Sometimes, too, he stared around at his possessions in a dazed way, as though in her actual and astounding presence none of it was any longer real."

It is also important to pay attention to the different social classes found in The Great Gatsby and the significance of social status in the novel. Watch for this as you read.

 Self-Assessment

Gatsby Chapters 7-9

You will now read the last three chapters of The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald made important decisions about how to maintain the reader's interest in the story. His arrangement of events follows the usual plot structure with one important distinction: he initially holds back some exposition about Gatsby's background to maintain the sense of mystery surrounding Gatsby. By the end of chapter six, having provided a more complete picture of Gatsby's past, Fitzgerald is able to move quickly toward the climax of the story in chapter seven.

Self-Assessment

Complete the following self-assessment to check your understanding of chapters  7-9.

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