Language, Gender, & Race in The Great Gatsby by Delainey Brown

Slang of the 1920s

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:16:35 UTC

"Slang of the 1920s" explores trending language use during the Roaring Twenties. While slang defines informal language used by specific groups during a particular period, some slang can be carried into the future. This video serves as a reminder that slang was gendered in the past and continues to be gendered in the present.

Sexism and the English Language

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:29:21 UTC

This video examines the relationship between gender and language in the English language. Additionally, it reveals how the English language is ridden with linguistic sexism that excludes and trivializes gender roles. Thus, this process of linguistic sexism negatively impacts our consciousness and the process of socialization in our everyday lives.

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:42:03 UTC

As a class, we will closely examine excerpts from this YA retelling of The Great Gatsby. Self-Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore remixes the canonical classic by expanding upon both literary theories of queer theory and critical race theory.

Our essential question(s):

How does the social construction of gender shape or influence the power dynamics inherent in language?
How does remixing allow writers to push back against linguistic injustice?

Summary:

In 1922 New York City, 17-year-old transgender boy Nicolás Caraveo arrives with a goal: to begin his future. Renting from his cousin Daisy Fabrega, who has reinvented herself as Daisy Fay, Nick discovers her erasure of Latina heritage. Living in West Egg, Nick befriends mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, hosting extravagant parties to impress his past love, Daisy. Unveiling a shared transgender identity, Jay seeks Nick's help to reconnect with Daisy. As Nick navigates the decadent culture, he becomes entangled in complex emotions, torn between aiding Jay's quest and his own growing affection for Jay's ideals and belief in the American Dream. (Anna-Marie McLemore, Goodreads)

The Great Gatsby: A Queer Approach

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:48:09 UTC

This research paper teaches us the history of the LGBTQ+ community during the Jazz Age Era, defines queer theory, and applies the queer theory lens to study The Great Gatsby in greater depth. While our class will not read this entire paper, we will closely analyze a few excerpts to better understand literary theory, more specifically, queer theory, its application to The Great Gatsby, and the significant role that language plays throughout the novel.

Jordan Baker Character Study

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:49:56 UTC

The paper examines how the language surrounding Jordan's character subverts traditional gender roles.

The Great Nick: Performing Authorial Masculinity in The Great Gatsby

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:56:17 UTC

This paper examines how the language surrounding Nick's character subverts traditional gender roles.

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-04 23:57:04 UTC

Our class will study excerpts from this feminist retelling of The Great Gatsby as well. Jillian Cantor applies the Gender Lens literary theory to disrupt the canonical classic and tell the story through the eyes of its female characters.

Our essential question(s):

What insights can be gained by comparing the gendered language throughout both novels?
How does linguistic sexism intersect with and impact feminist discourse and goals?

Summary:

In the scorching August of 1922, Jay Gatsby is found dead in his West Egg pool, seemingly a murder/suicide with mechanic George Wilson. A diamond hairpin in the bushes implicates three women: Daisy, entangled in family tragedy and a marriage with Tom; Jordan, harboring a golf career-ending secret; and suffragette Catherine, fighting for women's freedom. Their lives intertwine in the lead-up to the tragic summer, all ensnared in Gatsby's romantic obsession, leading to profound consequences. Jillian Cantor retells Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby from the women's viewpoint, exploring themes of money, power, marriage, and the destructive yearning of a tormented man. (Jillian Cantor, Goodreads)

Reading Race in The Great Gatsby and Passing

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 17:34:46 UTC

This paper examines the intersections of passing, race, and identity during the 1920s through a comparative analysis of The Great Gatsby and Nella Larsen's Passing. Again, our class will not read this entire paper; however, we will closely read excerpts from this work to better understand the relationship between language, race, gender, and class throughout The Great Gatsby.

Is Gatsby a Black Man?

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 17:50:46 UTC

In this lecture, Dr. Christian Lehmann employs critical race theory to analyze Gatsby's character by examining the language used in the novel to delineate his identity and racial background.

Nick Carraway is Queer and in Love with Jay Gatsby?

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 17:52:23 UTC

This article applies queer theory to explore Nick's character throughout the novel as well as the language that he uses and that surrounds him. Moreover, the article emphasizes how Fitzgerald subverts traditional roles of gender and sexuality of the 1920s by blurring the lines of socially constructed gendered language.

The "Race Problem" In The 1920s

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 18:00:43 UTC

Despite African Americans experiencing a period of Black empowerment in the 1920s through events like the Harlem Renaissance and their service in WWI, this social progress was hindered by the rise in racial hate and violence, which became known as the "Race Problem" and "Race Riots." However, we should not use these historical terms today due to their racist connotations. "It should be noted that this was a term that was used to place the blame squarely on Black people . . . more appropriate words like massacre or violence should be used instead" (The1920sChannel, 4:03-4:16). Overall, this video reveals the linguistic racism of the time period and further explains how language can be weaponized to oppress and marginalize.

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 18:06:22 UTC

Passing by Rebecca Hall is a film adaptation of Nella Larsen's novel. While our class will not have the time to read and analyze Passing the novel, we may be able to watch the adaption to gain insights into the intricacies of the choice to pass and the pivotal role that language plays in shaping this decision.

Harlem Renaissance Image Set

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 18:18:24 UTC

Click this link and Download: Harlem Renaissance Image Set

This PowerPoint: "Uncovering America" by National Gallery of Art consists of artwork from, or inspired by, the Harlem Renaissance. This image set asks us: "How do visual artists of the Harlem Renaissance explore black identity and political empowerment?, How does visual art of the Harlem Renaissance relate to current-day events and issues?, and How do migration and displacement influence cultural production?" (National Gallery of Art).

A New African American Identity: The Harlem Renaissance

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 18:19:42 UTC

This text pairs well with the Harlem Renaissance Image Set. "Most importantly, the Harlem Renaissance instilled in African Americans across the country a new spirit of self-determination and pride, a new social consciousness, and a new commitment to political activism, all of which would provide a foundation for the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s" (Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture).

LGBT+ History by the Decades: The Roaring Twenties

delaineybrown14 — 2023-11-05 18:36:47 UTC

This video teaches us more about the history of the LGBTQ+ community as well as the shift in traditional gender roles throughout the Roaring Twenties.