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DAISY BUCHANAN VS MYRTLE WILSON

SIMPLE COMPARISONS (circumstances?)

Daisy comes from a wealthy (old-money even) background from St. Louis.

Myrtle comes from a lower socio-economic background

Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan, a masculine, Chicagoan, high-society man.

Myrtle is married to George Wilson, an equally handsome man, but without the resources Buchanan has (low-income, low social status)

Daisy’s relationship with Tom is fundamentally characterised by the need for wealth and status.

Myrtle’s relationship with George is intrinsically flawed, as she seeks an illicit affair with Tom which she tries to use as her ticket to high society.

DEEPER COMPARISONS (personality?)

Daisy seems slightly innocent (potentially purposefully?), dumbing herself down while with Tom to cater to his ideal image of his “wife” who he clearly does not value. She reflects this in her stuttering (i.e, “I’m p-p-paralysed with happiness) and certain dialogue which feels out of place and oddly self-reflective (“That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool”). These quotes show how Daisy intentionally transforms her personality and appearance to fit the hyper-masculine ideals that Tom Buchanan has of his wife.

Daisy is also infatuated by the concept of wealth and prioritises it extensively, leading to the quote “Her voice is full of money - that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle of it, the cymbals’ song of it.” This quote shows how even in her voice one can hear the thirst for material wealth that ultimately drives the belief in Daisy’s characteristic superficiality.

Myrtle is portrayed as a character with a desire for a better life. Myrtle is dissatisfied with her social position and seeks to escape her mundane life by having an affair with Tom. She is married to George, who lacks social status in her eyes, leading her to the affair with Tom, who showers her with gifts and lets here experience an upper-class lifestyle. Myrtle's character seems naive and having a desire for upward social mobility, as she believes that Tom genuinely loves her and would marry her if not for Daisy. Despite these aspirations, Myrtle is ultimately treated as a possession by Tom, as he merely gives her money (which she happily accepts) furthermore objectifying their relationship.

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GEORGE WILSON BIT

q1) How would you compare Wilson to Gatsby in particular?

a1)Gatsby and Wilson have many similarities (that can also be compared to other characters around the novel such as Tom): They are both blonde-haired and blue-eyed. However, Wilson and Gatsby are fundamentally of different social statuses - Gatsby of the rich, Wilson of the poor. Despite drawing similar physical attributes, Gatsby represents high society at this point whilst Wilson represents the working class of New York. However, it can be inferred from the text that Gatsby himself was similar to Wilson, in the sense that his pre-richesse self (Jimmy Gats) was of a similar social position in society, and that his “dirty hands” (comparable to Wilson’s literally dirty hands) would help bring him to such a position in society.

q2) How would you compare Wilson to the context of the time?

a2) Wilson was evidently a portrayal of people of the lower social status on the East Coast, as he was the only major character in the novel that did work with the coal that F.S.F describes about the Valley Of Ashes. The working class of 1920s New York were simply nonexistent in the eyes of the upper class, as these workers toiled to hold up large corporations which were owned by the ultra rich of the same city.

QUEER READING BIT

q1) Spot the deliberate innuendo

a1)

q2) What do you make of the incident between Carraway and McKee? Is it all perfectly innocent?

a2) The incident between Nick and McKee could all be blamed on their intoxication, however Nick’s recollection of the situation would suggest that he was quite aware of his surroundings and his opinions on the surroundings could have changed significantly to align with his (the 1920s conservative) moral compass.

q3) What might Carraway be reassessing on the train station early that morning?

a3) Nick would evidently be questioning his own moral compass, and he would definitely be re-evaluating his memory of the situation and his liking of the situation as a whole

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Point Of View, by John Larison

POV is the audience’s perspective on the events of the narrative.

POV can either be third-person POV (they/them), second-person POV (you) or first-person POV (I/me).

3POV - Third-person Point Of View

3POV keeps the reader outside the story; looking in by using pronouns such as “he”, “she” or “they”.

3POV can be omniscient, in that the audience can follow and observe many different events along the storyline without bearing an impact on the story.

3POV can also be limited, in that the audience is only allowed to view a specific character or set of characters.

3POV allows the author to gauge the psychological distance between character and audience - closer as in clearer view of the character’s thoughts, further as in only viewing specific actions or events that a character experiences.

Distant 3POV/Close 3POV

2POV - Second-person Point Of View

The audience themselves are the hero of the story.

Very rare as it limits the ability of the storyteller to build the hero’s character.

2POV can help make the action of a story feel immediate and relatable

1POV - First-person Point Of View

The audience is listening to the story with 1POV.

1POV allows the audience to listen to the story from the perspective of the hero - owing to how the hero chooses to tell the story.

1POV could have an unreliable narrator - the hero could twist events to fit their narrative.

The American Dream, Dr. Niall Munro

Jim Cullen describes the American Dream as “Ambiguity being the source of it’s mythic power”

James Truslow Adams’ “The Epic Of America,” published in 1931, defines the American Dream very well —>

“A better, richer and happier life for all of our citizens of every rank which is the greatest contribution we have as yet made to the thought and welfare of the world.”

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1. The collection of Shakespeare’s sonnets are frequently used to theorise the writer’s sexuality. Whilst the sonnets can be used for this purpose as a “confessional exploration of Shakespeare’s sexuality,” there are many other uses for them. One such is the examination of whether the sonnets were published with the permission.

2. John Benson’s editing of the 1640 edition of the Shakespearean sonnets could have been to “avoid provoking questions about Shakespeare’s sexuality”. These changes were to stop speculation around Shakespeare and whether he was in love with the subject of many of his sonnets - “my lovely boy”.

3. We can infer from the quote, “[Shakespeare] was a craftsman of the highest degree, and that the poems transformed his real life experience into the ‘subtle matter’ of art,” that the author believes events that Shakespeare “real-life experiences” heavily influenced his writings. This could be the case, as the section of Shakespearean analysis that focuses on his sexuality is a direct representation of this. They hypothesise that Shakespeare was homosexual, or at least bisexual, as many of his sonnets are addressed to a “my lovely boy,” suggesting that Shakespeare was potentially in love with a man in his community.

4. Shakespeare’s sonnet’s can be inferred as confessional, but it cannot be truly known whether they are in fact a confession of any sort. On one hand, his use of extremely emotive language, drawing parallels to Petrarchan literary devices, such as the blazon. Having utilised such language, it can be assumed that Shakespeare’s sonnets were confessional in nature. Additionally, Shakespeare’s discussion of an extremely progressive topic such as sexuality could be considered a factor in whether his writing was confessional. Even for today’s standards, the discussion of sexuality is not viewed as a common topic. Having written numerous sonnets on such a theme, this can only enforce the fact that Shakespeare’s writing was confessional and showed a side of Shakespeare that he couldn’t have expressed the society of his time. On the other hand, it must be acknowledged that Shakespeare’s poems were simply poems - works of art that cannot be inferred as replications of reality. We must remember this whilst analysing Shakespearean sonnets, as we can never be sure of whether they portray what the author felt or whether they were merely works of fiction.

PODCAST SECTION

1. The Lion King was based on Hamlet!

2. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England.

3. He was baptised on the 26th of April, 1564, and was (possibly) born on St. George’s Day.

4. He was the eldest of 6 surviving children.

5. His father was a glove-maker (hence middle-class).

6. He probably learnt Latin.

7. He married Anne Hathaway, who was 26 (he 18) when they married

8. He founded the Globe.

9. Shakespeare’s cause of death is unknown - He could have been murdered or died of a disease.

10. He survived the bubonic plague.

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Questions For Director Of Shakespeare Institute

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Questions For Director Of Shakespeare Institute

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What has been your favourite staging of a Shakespeare play and why?

What is your opinion of modern Shakespearean adaptations and do you believe they stay true to the Shakespearean essence?

Which Shakespearean plays do you feel have the most relevance today and why?

How did Shakespeare’s writings change as he moved from the Globe to Blackfriars?

How has the biographic knowledge of Shakespeare grown as our understanding of historical context and his works also progresses?

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Conventions of a Shakespearean Comedy

Structure -> Harmony, Complication, Chaos, Resolution and Restoration ( in order)

Shakespearean comedies usually contain:

Ending in marriage.

Much more light-hearted plot.

More emphasis on situations than characters (“numbing” the audience’s relationship with the character in order to find the situation laughable).

Separation, reunification and deception between characters.

Disputes between (often familial) characters.

Multiple, intertwining plots.

Different types of humour.

Apollonian and Dionysian Values

Shakespearean comedies ALWAYS have tension between the Apollonian and Dionysian values.

Apollonian Beliefs

Based on Apollo, Greek god of the sun, dreams and reason

Individuality (being distinct from others)

Creativity through reason and logical thinking.

Dionysian Beliefs

Based on Dionysus, Greek god of wine, ecstasy and and intoxication

Chaos (submergence of the individual into the whole)

Emotional and instinctual appeal.

Tragicomedy

Combines aspects of both tragedy and comedy

Can be either a tragic story with light-hearted sections, or an overall light-hearted plot with a tragic ending.

Can easily achieve catharsis (through tragedy) as well as humour (comedy) in the same story.

Ancient Greek Comedy

Origins -> Classical theatre originated in Athens in the 6th century BCE. Plays were performed in open-air theatres called “Theatron”. Competitions were held to judge these plays as part of different festivals, such as the City of Dionysia (for tragedy plays) and the City of Lenaia (for comedy). Theatre was not considered a social outing as it is in the modern day, but as a political and religious necessity .

Types of Greek Comedy -> Old Comedy, Middle Comedy and New Comedy

Greek Comedy Structure -> Parados (beginning song and dance routines to introduce the plot, dressed in wild costumes), Agon (Verbal contest that would have a fantastical plot that would advance the story, possible improvisation), Parabasis (the chorus would speak directly to the audience to enlarge or explain a point), and finally the Exodus (another round of singing and dancing from the chorus).

Old Comedy and Aristophanes ->

Comedy written in the 5th century BCE

Aristophanes’ “Acharnians” is the earliest surviving text

Usually deeply connected to political issues

Uses satire, crude jokes and parody to address modern-day taboo such as sex, politics and religion.

Aristophanes composed 44 plays, but only 11 survived.

New Comedy and Menander ->

Comedy written in the late 4th century and the early 3rd century BCE

Focused on domestic scenes.

The chorus became less important to the plot.

Addressed more fictional topics, and less political.

Philemon, Diphilus and Philippides were some famous playwrights of the era

Menander (considered the greatest playwright of the New Comedy era) wrote “Dyskolos” (performed in 316 BCE). This is the most complete plot that has survived into the modern day.