GOOD GATSBY RESEARCH

Fitzgerald – the man

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/
Offers a HUGE web site devoted to Fitzgerald and his work.

http://www.unet.brandeis.edu/~teuber/fitzgeraldbio.html
A great biographical criticism site on Fitzgerald.

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/3844/
Biographical material on Fitzy, character sketches, novel history.

http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/collections/fitztime.html
Fitzgerald Timeline

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/october96/fitz_9-27.html
Interview on his life

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/obituaries.html
Fitzgerald's obituaries

http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html

Scott and Zelda

http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/index.html
Excellent bibliography -- at the same PBS site

http://www.britannica.com/eb/article?eu=35049
A brief bio -- Encyclopedia Britannica

The novel itself

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/
Offers a HUGE web site devoted to Fitzgerald and his work.

http://www.unet.brandeis.edu/~teuber/fitzgeraldbio.html
A great biographical criticism site on Fitzgerald.

http://www.geocities.com/BourbonStreet/3844/
Biographical material on Fitzy, character sketches, novel history.

http://www.georgetown.edu/tamlit/collections/fitztime.html
Fitzgerald Timeline

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment/october96/fitz_9-27.html
Interview on his life

http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/obituaries.html
Fitzgerald's obituaries

http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html

The 1920’s in general

http://www.louisville.edu/~kprayb01/1920s.html
A wonderful and comprehensive 1920s Source

http://www.geocities.com/broadway/orchestra/1923/
A Gatsby/Jazz Age site on music, cars, advertising, fashion, slang... the whole shebang.

http://www.nhmccd.edu/contracts/lrc/kc/decade10.html
A site with lots of information on the history of the 1910s.

http://www.nhmccd.edu/contracts/lrc/kc/decade20.html
A good 1920s cultural history set of links.

http://home.earthlink.net/~timsamuel/home.htm#content
1920s information on Automobiles, Prohibition, Music, Gangland, and more.

http://www.paulsann.org/thelawlessdecade/index.html
Photohistory of the 1920s

http://www.ackley.k12.ia.us/library/RoaringTwenties.html
Expect some dead links off this page... but its set of eclectic topics is interesting.

http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Lane/6341/History/Roaring20s.html
A site with stuff on slang, statistics, politics and technology

http://alephnull.net/20s/culture.html
A page of links

http://members.aol.com/TeacherNet/20CC.html
A vast set of links on American Culture

GG Chapter 2

You should probably at least know the answers to these...

• Who is Dr. T.J. Eckleberg?
• What is the "valley"?
• Who are George and Myrtle Wilson?
• When is this chapter taking place?
• How did Myrtle and Tom meet?
• What happened to Myrtle at the end of the chapter and why?
• Why does Nick describe the valley of the ashes as “fantastic” and “grotesque”?
• Why does he say that Doctor T.J. Eckleburg’s eyes “brood on over the solemn dumping ground?”
• Why is Myrtle attracted to Tom? Why does she put on airs when they get to the New York apartment?
• Does Wilson suspect that Myrtle and Tom are having an affair?
• Why does Tom break Myrtle’s nose?
• How do the rumors about Gatsby contribute to his image and reputation?

GG Chapter 1

You probably should at least know the answers to these...

• Who is Tom Buchanan?
• Who is Daisy Buchanan?
• Who is Jordan Baker?
• Who is Nick Carraway?
• Who is telling the story?
• Where is the story taking place?
• Where is West Egg?
• Who is Nick's neighbor?
• Who calls Tom Buchanan during the dinner party?
• What does the narrator mean by "Only Gatsby, the man who gives his name to this book was exempt from my reaction--Gatsby who represented everything for which I have unaffected scorn" (p. 6)?
• Why is Tom is taken with racist theories of white superiority? Why does he want to believe that these theories true?
• Are Daisy’s voice and manner natural to her, or is she acting? Why are so many men attracted to her?
• What do Tom and Daisy want of Nick? How doe these 3 know each other?
• Why is Nick “confused and a little disgusted” as he drives away from Daisy’s house?
• What is it about Gatsby’s first appearance that keeps Nick from approaching him?
  

Ted Hughes Timeline

Check out the Ted Hughes Timeline...it gives dates related to Sylvia and their marriage, kids, affairs, separation, suicide...etc. It's interesting to count up the number of works dedicated to Sylvia before and after her death. What are YOUR impressions of him?

Plath Homework

FIRST - do some research about SYLVIA - these are just some interesting ones I came across. Feel free to Google away...but search for credible sources please.

• Poets.org
• A celebration, this is
• Neurotic Poets
• The Willing Domesticity of Sylvia Plath: A Rebuttal of the "Feminist" Label (this one's for all the haters out there...)
• OK, I just found this one and I had to add it...even though it's just this girl's blog...but you HAVE to check out this family's bog converstation about Plath!!! Can you believe it?http://www.sheilaomalley.com/archives/008904.html

SECOND - choose a topic and write a blurb: (sure you can answer both!)

1) How does this information change or reinforce the discussion you had about any of the poems we read today in class? Please be specific...that means referencing lines/words from the poem and also facts from the research you just did.

2) Whose poetry is more universal: Margaret Atwood or Sylvia Plath? Please be specific...that means referencing lines/words from poems and also facts from the research you just did.

Convince me...

From what I've noticed on the blog and the group discussions in class, here's what I'm leaning towards as far as the narrowing down of Atwood's poems from 12 to 3.

Helen of Troy Dances on Countertops - 3rd and 7th, we talked about this one extensively. Seems to me that there is a LOT going on in this poem and would lend well towards a 15 minute commentary...

Variations on the Word Sleep - lots of talk about this on the blog and a group in every class. I agree there there is LOTS to talk about device-wise and also multiple ways to interpret this poem...

Siren Song - although this is one of the shorter poems, a BUNCH of great comments about this in class and on the blog...did you notice the siren song within Helen of Troy...?

Postcards - LOTS of somewhat inconclusive comments about this one... follows the motif of the perceived vs. actual reality we've been talking about, lots of VIVID (bleh) imagery and multiple interpretations...


But let's not forget about This is a Photograph of Me, Spelling and Variations on the Word Love and In the Secular Night...these are good ones, but I think I was more convinced with the other four based on our conversations and my eavesdropping...

Give a SHOUT OUT

to the poem

THAT SPEAKS TO YOU

and try to convince me

that it would be best for commentary!!!!!!

The Penelopiad

Check this out!!!

http://books.guardian.co.uk/departments/classics/story/0,,1600872,00.html

(I really don't know why it's not showing up as a link, but just copy/paste it into the browser.)

I've noticed whisperings about how all of Margaret Atwood's poems are about women...well, what I have to say about that is: What's wrong with that?!! The link will take you to an interview with MA about her new book, an interpretation of the Odyssey from Penelope's perspective. I guess this answers the question about all the Greek mythology allusions in many of her poems.

Homework following the poetry shuffle

To steal a phrase from someone from the voting...I'm interested in finding out more about which of these poems "speaks to you" the most. There are 2 parts to this blogging fun:

1. Write a response focusing on one of the poems we viewed in class today. This could be the poem you liked the best, the one you would like to analyze further, the one that confused you the most, or whatever. Of course, please tell us why it speaks to you and be sure to highlight at least one specific example from the poem. As always, I'll be the first comment...so follow my lead.
2. As soon as the comments come pouring in, comment on someone else's comment. I'll obviously be commenting as well because I'm interested in what you liked about these poems!

One last thing, let's try to be civil here. No badmouthing Margaret Atwood or any other commenters simply for stating an opinion.

3rd Block - due by 9:00 am on Thursday, 11/8

5th Block - due by 7:20 am on Friday 11/9

7th Block - due by 10:38 on Friday 11/9

In the Secular Night
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/in-the-secular-night/

Bored
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/bored/

Spelling

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/spelling/

Postcards
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/postcards/

Siren Song
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/siren-song/

The Rest
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-rest/

Variations on the Word Love
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/variations-on-the-word-love/

Variations on the Word Sleep
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/variations-on-the-word-sleep/

WOW!

I really really enjoyed reading all of your comments...despite Johnny's pessimism and Kareem's Freudianism. As you already know, Margaret Atwood and Sylvia Plath are the winners. Now that doesn't mean that you never should read any of Oliver or Dickinson's poetry ever again!! Stay tuned for how we will narrow down hundreds of poems to only 6 in the next few weeks. Later -