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Radio National: 'The Great Gatsby': dream or nightmare?

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Radio National: 'The Great Gatsby': dream or nightmare?

SUBJECTS:  English

YEARS:  9–10


Often the impact of a novel lies in its ability to comment on society.

In this audio clip, discover how American writer F Scott Fitzgerald challenges readers to reconsider the society in which they live.

This clip from 'Books and arts daily' on Radio National is one in a series of eight.

If you like this clip, listen to the full ABC RN documentary by clicking 'Download Audio' on this webpage.


Things to think about

  1. 1.Find out what is meant by 'the American dream'. Create a collage of words and images representing the values, beliefs and ideas that make up this dream.
  2. 2.Why does Jane Gleeson-White believe that the line between reality and dreams is particularly blurred in American culture? Why does Jason Di Rosso believe that Gatsby is 'pathetic'? How do the other participants regard Gatsby's dreams? What do the tweets reveal about the public perception of the novel? What is significant about the newspaper Tom Buchanan reads in the novel? What do we learn about Tom's morality?
  3. 3.How can both Gatsby and Buchanan be seen as representing the American dream? What flaws does each character exhibit? Do you think 'The great Gatsby' critiques or admires American culture? What do you think the author F Scott Fitzgerald seems to be saying about American culture, and the American dream in particular, through the way he has constructed these characters?
  4. 4.Is there an Australian equivalent of the American dream? What beliefs and values does it entail? Identify a novel where a character has been constructed to represent a critique of some aspect of Australian culture or society. Discuss your thoughts with others in your class.


Acknowledgements

Produced by RN Books and Arts Daily.


Date of broadcast: 31 May 2013

Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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