Section 4: Overview

Critical Views of The Great Gatsby

We will read Chapters 8–9 and the resolution of the novel’s story, study examples of literary criticism, and compare four interpretations of the novel. We will analyze the arguments presented in these literary analyses, the ways in which their authors present interpretive claims and support them with evidence cited from the text, and how they respond to others’ critical interpretations. We will demonstrate our understanding through a formal fishbowl discussion in which we take a position on whether Gatsby or Nick is the novel’s central character and present claims about each character’s meaning and importance in the novel.

• Lesson 1:

  We will discuss and analyze Chapter 8, considering how the events of the novel come together. We will also listen to a podcast about the “harsh new reality” of the modern American Dream and make connections to Gatsby’s American Dream.

• Lesson 2:

  We will discuss Chapter 9 and its final resolution of Gatsby’s story. We will discuss the concepts of irony, tragedy, and theme in relation to how the story ends. We will read and analyze two passages that present the story’s ending and determine what theme the novel might be addressing about human dreams and illusions.

• Lesson 3:

  We will examine the cover art for the original publication of The Great Gatsby and consider alternative titles that Fitzgerald considered for the novel.

• Lesson 4:

  We will examine various perspectives from which readers and literary critics have studied The Great Gatsby and compare their critical interpretations and arguments. We will note how writers of literary analyses make claims, support them with textual evidence, and cite the sources of that evidence.

• Lesson 5:

  We will extend our understanding by reading and discussing another critical interpretation of the novel, Thomas Boyle’s essay “Unreliable Narration in The Great Gatsby.” We will make connections between the ideas presented in this essay and our previous knowledge of the novel.

• Lesson 6:

  We will extend our understanding by reading and discussing another critical interpretation of The Great Gatsby, James Mellard’s essay titled “Counterpoint as Technique in The Great Gatsby.” We will make connections between the ideas presented in this essay and our previous knowledge of the novel.

• Lesson 7:

  We will consider an interesting question about the novel: whose story is it? Gatsby’s or Nick’s? Then we will begin forming claims and building arguments for our Section 4 Diagnostic, in which we will focus on one of those two characters.

• Lesson 8:

  We will continue forming claims and collecting evidence to prepare for our Section Diagnostic. We will have a chance to practice discussing with a group, to give each other peer feedback, and to consult with the teacher.

• Lesson 9:

  We will participate in a formal fishbowl discussion based on whether we believe that The Great Gatsby is mostly Gatsby’s story or mostly Nick’s story. We will communicate an evidence-based claim that takes a position about one of the two characters and his significance in the novel.

• Lesson 10:

  We will review the teacher’s feedback on our Section Diagnostic and will use the feedback to make revisions to our work.

• Lesson 11:

  We will share the analyses we have made about our independent reading texts and make connections to the unit. We will plan a final product to share our experiences from reading independently and the knowledge we have gained.