The Change Of Time In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

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If the text had been written in a different time or place or language or for a different audience, how and why might it differ? Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr once said ‘The more things change, the more things stay the same”, which perfectly summarizes what would happen to the fictional world of The Great Gatsby, had it been written in the beginning of the 21st century. F. Scott Fitzgerald describes the extravaganza and prosperity of the Roaring Twenties by using Gatsby as his protagonist who tries to win over the love of his life by portraying himself as a prosperous businessman. If Fitzgerald had lived in the 21st century and had written The Great Gatsby in 2016 the change of time would influence both the details of the storyline and the…show more content…
During the Roaring Twenties, a time when society was built on rumors and wealth, exterior qualities were of vital importance to one’s social standing. Since image determined social class, people had to have the right connections, know the right people, be seen in the right places and had to be talked about in order to be well-known and respected. This striving to move upwards in the rankings of social hierarchy is part of human nature and therefore remains the basis for the plot of The Great Gatsby, whether it be written a hundred years earlier, or a hundred years later. Society in 2016 is still largely influenced by people’s image and their materialistic assets, rather than their integral capacities such as intelligence, well spokenness or kindness. ‘Does he have a well-providing job? Does he live in the ‘right’ neighbourhood?’ Since social media is one of the most important factors which influence this image, it can be seen as the modern day variant of rumors in the 1920’s. Examples such as the infamous Kardashian family, who rose to fame due to a reality tv-show based on their lives, illustrate that the modern day world still revolves around superficial qualities and one’s
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