A great number of his stories started with the basic situation in which a rising young man of the middle class is in love with the daughter of a very rich family. The young man is not attracted by the fortune in itself; he is not seeking money so much as what money can bring to him; and he loves the girl not so much as he loves what the gir1 symbolizes. Money is only a convenient and inadequate symbol for what he dreams of earning， and love merely a vehicle that can transport him to a magic world of eternal happiness. The man’s real dream， as Malcolm Cow1ey suggested， is that of achieving a new status and a new essence， of rising to a loftier place in the mysterious hierarchy of human worth.
(2) Fitzgerald’s own life was a mirror of the 1920s. He was the victim of his “American Dream.” He was fascinated with material wealth on one hand by writing hard to accumulate wealth to live an extravagant life， yet was bewildered with the wealth on the other， fully aware of the underlying spiritual disorientation and moral decay. Finally in his life， alcoholism， loneliness and despair combined to ruin him. So his dream backfires him.
3. Fitzgerald’s style：
He is a great stylist in American literature. His style， closely re1ated to his themes， is explicit and chilly. His accurate dialogues， his careful observation of mannerism， styles， models and attitudes provide the reader with a vivid sense of reality. He fol1ows the Jamesian tradition in using the scenic method in his
chapters， each one of which consists of one or more dramatic scenes， sometimes with intervening passages of narration， leaving the tedious process of transition to the readers’ imagination. He also skillfully employs the device of having events observed by a “central consciousness” to his great advantage. The accurate details， the completely original diction and metaphors， the bold impressionistic and colorful quality have all proved his consummate artistry.
四。应用Selected Reading：
An Excerpt from Chapter IlI of The Great Gatsby
(1) The theme of the novel： The Great Gatsby， by summarizing the experiences and attitudes of the glamorous and wild 1920s， deals with the bankruptcy of the American Dream， which is high1ighted by the disillusionment of the protagonist’s personal dream due to the clashes between his romantic vision of life and the relentless reality. American Dream is a popular belief that people can achieve success， whether it is wealth， fame or love through honest hard working in a new world of liberty， equality， chances and promises. Yet in the 1920s， the American Dream was bankrupt in the sense that the wealthy people were spiritually disorientated and morally corrupted. The fact that the rich people turned to be more indifferent and careless brought forth the disillusionment of American Dream.
The story of The Great Gatsby is a good illustration. At the beginning of the story， Gatsby， a poor young man from the Midwest， is in love with but rejected
by an upper-class woman， Daisy. He later attains the wealth by bootlegging and other criminal activities. Yet his fascination with and pursuit of money is but the means of recapturing the past and regaining his lost love. And for him， Daisy is the representation of a kind of idealized happiness. So Gatsby’s real dream is that of achieving a new status and a new essence， of rising to a loftier place in the mysterious hierarchy of human worth. That is why Daisy Buchanan seems so charming to Gatsby and that is why Gatsby has directed his who1e life to winning back her love. Yet his dream ended up with Daisy’s indifference and carelessness. Under this thematic design， the novel displays some modern motifs like the Waste-land theme as symbolized by the Valley of Ashes and boredom as reflected in Daisy and Tom.
(2) Chapter Ⅲ of the novel， a vivid description of one of Gatsby’s fabulous parties， presents a vivid atmosphere of paradox. Gatsby’s party， characteristic of the roaring twenties in the U.S. evokes both the romance and the sadness of the Jazz Age. On the surface， the party is crowded， yet empty of warmth or friendship， with people coming to the party eagerly but appearing indifferent and contemptuous of their host. Gatsby himself as the host is a paradox —— exceedingly courteous but keeps himself detached from the noisy and confusing crowd， because he， though fascinated with the wealth， was fully aware of the corruptive nature of the society and the vanity fair.
The charm and sweetness of the youth is spoiled by triviality and tawdriness; The splendid house and garden is purchased not for enjoyment but for impression. There is every sign of merriment， with guests eating， drinking， laughing，
moving about and dancing， but people get dead drunk， break down in tears or quarrel over trivialities. So beneath the wealthy people’s masks of relaxation and joviality there was only sterility， meaninglessness and futi1ity， and amid the grandeur and extravagance a spiritual waste1and and a hint of decadence and moral decay. This undeniable juxtaposition of appearance with reality， of the pretense of gaiety with the tension Fitzgerald’s novels and stories.
underneath，is easily recognizable in
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