The following bachelor thesis deals with patriarchal representations in Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" (1925) and compares them with a contemporary representation "The Chosen and the Beautiful" by Nghi Vo (2021). Themes such as masculinity, femininity and LGBTQA+ are explored along the characters and a comparison is made between the past and present.
This thesis presents the context of the two main works first. To contextualize The Great Gatsby (1925), it looks at the historical context of America in the 1920s, issues of race in U.S. national culture and views on gender, patriarchy and queering in the Jazz Age. To provide a context for The Chosen and The Beautiful (2021), it highlights what social movements have taken place in order to understand how the topic of gender is viewed today.
Since The Chosen and The Beautiful is a retelling of The Great Gatsby, the rewrite as a genre and its function will be examined. The next chapter explores concepts, ideas and developments of Feminist Literary Theory, Queer Theory and Intersectionality Theory. The fourth chapter then analyzes both primary texts in comparison along gendered themes: Masculinity, femininity and queer characters are examined by changing the perspective from a male to a female point of view. The concluding chapter presents the findings.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Contextualising F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) and Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021)
3. Feminist Literary Theory and Queer Theory: Concepts, Ideas and Developments
4. Patriarchal and Gender Representations in The Great Gatsby (1925) and The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021)
4.1. Masculinity
4.2. Femininity
4.3. Queer Characters and Places
5. Conclusion
6. Bibliography
Objectives and Themes
This thesis examines the shifting representations of patriarchal ideology and gender roles in F. Scott Fitzgerald's classical novel "The Great Gatsby" (1925) in comparison to Nghi Vo’s modern retelling "The Chosen and The Beautiful" (2021). The central research question explores how the rewrite, by shifting the perspective to a female narrator and integrating feminist and queer theory perspectives, deconstructs and challenges the traditional patriarchal norms depicted in the original canonical text.
- Analysis of American social and historical context in the 1920s
- Feminist and Queer theoretical frameworks applied to literary analysis
- Comparative examination of masculine and feminine gender roles
- Deconstruction of heteronormativity and representations of queer identities
- Evaluation of "The Chosen and The Beautiful" as a critical rewrite
Excerpt from the Book
4.1. Masculinity
Tom Buchanan conforms in appearance and voice to what patriarchal ideology expects of a masculine man: Dominance, aggressiveness, large musculature and deep voice. Nick Carraway, Fitzgerald’s narrator, notes that Tom Buchanan’s “arrogant eyes had established dominance over his face and gave him the appearance of always leaning aggressively forward” and that “you could see a great pack of muscle shifting when his shoulder moved under his thin coat” (Fitzgerald 10). Moreover, Fitzgerald allows his characters to refer to Tom Buchanan as “the athlete” (72) and to frequently comment on “his thick body” (73). In addition to his physical appearance, Nick Carraway describes his deep, masculine voice as “a gruff husky tenor, added to the impression of fractiousness he conveyed” (10). Similarly, Nghi Vo depicts Tom Buchanan’s masculine identity: At one of Jay Gatsby’s parties, Jordan Baker observes: “Tom in black looked around aggressively, and I felt Nick stiffen next to me. I wanted to tell him that I didn’t like Tom either” (Vo 169). Unlike Fitzgerald, Vo describes how the characters feel a certain dislike for his expression of masculinity. Tom Buchanan’s aggressiveness is underlined by “the way his brows lowered like the horns of a bull considering a charge” (207). Vo portrays his voice as uncomfortably loud as Jordan Baker “heard the distant slam of the front door, and then, louder and more insistent, the boom of Tom’s voice” (3). Both Fitzgerald and Vo portray Tom Buchanan with similar masculine attributes: aggressiveness and dominance, just by his appearance and voice. However, Nghi Vo shows that it is precisely this extreme display of dominance and masculinity that is received rather negatively by others.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter introduces the literary classics and outlines the thesis's goal of exploring patriarchal ideology and gender representations through a comparative lens.
2. Contextualising F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby (1925) and Nghi Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021): This section provides the historical and socio-cultural background of the 1920s, including the significance of the Jazz Age, immigration, and the emergence of new gender roles.
3. Feminist Literary Theory and Queer Theory: Concepts, Ideas and Developments: This chapter establishes the theoretical framework, discussing binary gender systems, performativity, and the critical potential of queer theory.
4. Patriarchal and Gender Representations in The Great Gatsby (1925) and The Chosen and the Beautiful (2021): This main analysis chapter examines how the characters fulfill or resist patriarchal expectations regarding masculinity and femininity, and identifies queer subtexts and spaces.
5. Conclusion: The final chapter summarizes the findings, highlighting how Nghi Vo's rewrite effectively subverts the traditional gender narratives found in Fitzgerald's original work.
6. Bibliography: This section lists all primary and secondary academic sources used throughout the dissertation.
Keywords
Patriarchal Ideology, Gender Roles, Heteronormativity, Feminist Literary Theory, Queer Theory, The Great Gatsby, The Chosen and the Beautiful, Masculinity, Femininity, Intersectionality, Rewrite, 1920s, Jazz Age, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Nghi Vo
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this dissertation?
The dissertation investigates how patriarchal ideology and gender roles are portrayed and evaluated in F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" and how Nghi Vo’s 2021 retelling challenges these established norms.
Which theoretical frameworks are applied?
The work utilizes Feminist Literary Theory and Queer Theory to analyze the constructions of gender, sexuality, and patriarchal power dynamics within the two novels.
What is the primary objective of the research?
The objective is to demonstrate how a modern rewrite can deconstruct the "classic" patriarchal narrative and provide a more inclusive reflection on gender and sexuality.
Which specific masculine archetypes are analyzed?
The analysis focuses on characters like Tom Buchanan, George Wilson, and Jay Gatsby to compare how they conform to or struggle against patriarchal definitions of manhood.
How is the concept of femininity addressed?
The study examines the role of Daisy Buchanan and the 'flapper' archetype to highlight how traditional expectations of passivity and domesticity are either reinforced or undermined in the two versions.
What characterizes the research methodology?
The research is a comparative literary analysis that juxtaposes the original text with its modern revision, focusing specifically on character representation and narrative perspective.
How does the rewrite change the role of Jordan Baker?
Moving the perspective to Jordan Baker as a female narrator allows for a more critical, independent, and intersectional insight into the patriarchal ideologies of the diegetic world.
What significance does the "Cendrillon" club hold in the analysis?
In Nghi Vo's work, the Cendrillon serves as a concrete, safe, and visible queer space, contrasting sharply with the hidden and subtextual queer hints found in Fitzgerald's original novel.
How is the relationship between Jay Gatsby and Nick Carraway treated in both works?
While Fitzgerald keeps their connection at a homoerotic subtextual level, Nghi Vo makes the homosexual relationship between the two characters explicit and central to the narrative.
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- Marlene Peters (Autor:in), 2023, Exploring Shifting Representations of Patriarchal Ideology in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s "The Great Gatsby" (1925) and Nghi Vo’s "The Chosen and the Beautiful" (2021), München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/1495999
