At the time of his death, Fitzgerald was considered as a failed literary hope, a writer victimized by his own indulgences. But since 1940s his literary reputation has steadily risen. Today he is judged to be one of the major American prose writers of this century. In a number of his short stories, and in his finest novel, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald had revealed the stridency of an age of glittering innocence. In vivid and graceful prose he had, at the same time, described the emptiness and nothingness of American worship of wealth and the unending American dream of love, splendor, and fulfilled desires.
This paper focuses on the study of the similarities between Fitzgerald and Gatsby on the basis of the novel, The Great Gatsby, which consists of several parts as follows:the first part gives the brief introduction, in which the early days of Fitzgerald and the appearance of Gatsby are introduced. From the ways Fitzgerald used to get the success and the classic posture Gatsby owned in the darkness, we get to know that they are waiting for something which is the symbol of the wealth and the social position.
The second part focuses on the detailed analysis of the similarities between Fitzgerald and Gatsby, which includes their occupation, the way they pursue their top girl, the ways they love and cherish their top girl, and the way to face the cruel and false society, from the analysis we learn that both of them possess an enthusiastic illusion for romantic love with innocence and naiveness.
The last parts makes a conclusion of the paper based on the elementary analysis of the novel, and, in that way, we get to know the idea of the paper that the character of the novel-Gatsby is the embodiment of the author-Fitzgerald.
Abstract...................................................................I
Key Words..................................................................I
摘要.......................................................................I
关键词.....................................................................Ⅱ
Introduction...............................................................1
Ⅰ.The Social and Family Background of Fitzgerald..........................3
A. The Family Background of Fitzgerald ....................................3
B. The Social Background of Fitzgerald ....................................5
Ⅱ.The Early Days of Fitzgerald and the Appearance of Gatsby...............7
A. The Early Days of Fitzgerald............................................7
B. The Appearance of Gatsby................................................8
Ⅲ.The Golden Age of Fitzgerald and the Prime Time of Gatsby ..............9
Ⅳ.The Death of Gatsby and the Down of Fitzgerald..........................12
A. The Death of Gatsby.....................................................12
B. The Down of Fitzgerald..................................................13
Ⅴ.The Final End of the Legend.............................................14
Conclusion.................................................................15
Notes......................................................................16
Bibliography...............................................................17
Acknowledgements...........................................................18