Comparative of the Great Gatsby, Casablanca and Translations
The texts which I have studied in my comparative course are “The Great Gatsby” (G.G.) written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. “Casablanca” (C.B.) directed by Micheal Curtiz and “Translations” (T.) written by Brian Friel. The cultural context of all three texts impacts on how and why the people behave the way they do. In this essay I will examine the elements which I thought had the most significant impact on the characters which contributed to their behaviour throughout the narratives.
The first aspect I will examine is the setting of all texts – how it impacts on the way in which the main characters act and the consequences it has on their behaviour.
G.G. is set in the “Roaring Twenties” in America. Fitzgerald set G.G. in an altered version of Long Island and Manhattan where Great and Manhasset Neck became East and West Egg and the large landfill site at Flushing is renamed the ‘valley of ashes`. This glamorous decade of the 1920’s was one of great cultural, artistic and social developments. WWI had ended in 1918 and left people disillusioned. This generation that fought and survived were ‘the lost generation`. At this time, America seemed to throw itself headlong into a decade of madcap behaviour and materialism. This era, also known as ‘The Jazz Age` was improvised and wild, jazz broke the rules of music just as ‘The Jazz Age` thumbed its nose at the rules of the past. Now, the ‘American Dream` became prominent and the idea of America being a land of opportunity was challenged and people came to believe that a determined and able individual could achieve anything, regardless of their social background. This was a pursuit of wealth.
G.G., unlike the other two texts is set in a time where although having just came out of war, no other country imposed on America’s freedom, which I think led to freer morals and loser behaviour among the people (for example, the widespread infidelity).
Unlike G.G., C.B is set in Morocco’s real costal city of Casablanca under Vichy
The first aspect I will examine is the setting of all texts – how it impacts on the way in which the main characters act and the consequences it has on their behaviour.
G.G. is set in the “Roaring Twenties” in America. Fitzgerald set G.G. in an altered version of Long Island and Manhattan where Great and Manhasset Neck became East and West Egg and the large landfill site at Flushing is renamed the ‘valley of ashes`. This glamorous decade of the 1920’s was one of great cultural, artistic and social developments. WWI had ended in 1918 and left people disillusioned. This generation that fought and survived were ‘the lost generation`. At this time, America seemed to throw itself headlong into a decade of madcap behaviour and materialism. This era, also known as ‘The Jazz Age` was improvised and wild, jazz broke the rules of music just as ‘The Jazz Age` thumbed its nose at the rules of the past. Now, the ‘American Dream` became prominent and the idea of America being a land of opportunity was challenged and people came to believe that a determined and able individual could achieve anything, regardless of their social background. This was a pursuit of wealth.
G.G., unlike the other two texts is set in a time where although having just came out of war, no other country imposed on America’s freedom, which I think led to freer morals and loser behaviour among the people (for example, the widespread infidelity).
Unlike G.G., C.B is set in Morocco’s real costal city of Casablanca under Vichy