Is 'The Great Gatsby' a Realist Novel?
Caleb Rooney 13A
Everything is so exaggerated, whether it is the character of Gatsby himself or the world in which he lives, that it is impossible to call The Great Gatsby a realist novel.
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby lives a life of pure decadence and luxury. He enjoys his life primarily according to the hedonistic view that life should be lived purely for pleasure. The utter materialism of his property and belongings, and his incredulous outlook on life all polymerise to fabricate a far-fetched, exaggerated and Impressionistic novel. The Great Gatsby is written in the 1920’s, an era of optimism and new-found hope following World War I, intensifying the idea that the novel is based on Fitzgerald’s unrealistic expectations. In this essay I will be exploring the aspects of The Great Gatsby that make it difficult to label the tale as a Realist novel.
The overall plot of The Great Gatsby tells a barely believable story of love and tragedy. The novel is highly inspired by the Romantic genre, taking account of its fairytale-esque storyline and its idealistic view on the conventions of love. We recognize the boy meets girl influenced enactment complemented by the traditional heroism conveyed by Gatsby, and also through Daisy acting the damsel in distress. The picturesque past of the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy also contradicts the characteristics of a Realist Novel. The romantic idea of lost love reconciliation also exemplifies the concept of The Great Gatsby being a traditional love-tragedy hybrid novel. The pure indulgence and self-righteousness inhabited by some characters combined with their extravagant lifestyles and social status augments the belief that The Great Gatsby is an Impressionistic novel, rather than a Realist one.
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald often illustrates scenes with such minute detail, endowing the novel with a rich and opulent tone. The Great Gatsby could be perceived as an Impressionistic Novel; a literary piece that seeks
Everything is so exaggerated, whether it is the character of Gatsby himself or the world in which he lives, that it is impossible to call The Great Gatsby a realist novel.
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby lives a life of pure decadence and luxury. He enjoys his life primarily according to the hedonistic view that life should be lived purely for pleasure. The utter materialism of his property and belongings, and his incredulous outlook on life all polymerise to fabricate a far-fetched, exaggerated and Impressionistic novel. The Great Gatsby is written in the 1920’s, an era of optimism and new-found hope following World War I, intensifying the idea that the novel is based on Fitzgerald’s unrealistic expectations. In this essay I will be exploring the aspects of The Great Gatsby that make it difficult to label the tale as a Realist novel.
The overall plot of The Great Gatsby tells a barely believable story of love and tragedy. The novel is highly inspired by the Romantic genre, taking account of its fairytale-esque storyline and its idealistic view on the conventions of love. We recognize the boy meets girl influenced enactment complemented by the traditional heroism conveyed by Gatsby, and also through Daisy acting the damsel in distress. The picturesque past of the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy also contradicts the characteristics of a Realist Novel. The romantic idea of lost love reconciliation also exemplifies the concept of The Great Gatsby being a traditional love-tragedy hybrid novel. The pure indulgence and self-righteousness inhabited by some characters combined with their extravagant lifestyles and social status augments the belief that The Great Gatsby is an Impressionistic novel, rather than a Realist one.
Throughout the novel, Fitzgerald often illustrates scenes with such minute detail, endowing the novel with a rich and opulent tone. The Great Gatsby could be perceived as an Impressionistic Novel; a literary piece that seeks