This document provides lesson objectives and materials for teaching F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story "The Cut-Glass Bowl". It includes a plot summary of the story, discusses key themes of love, marriage and materialism presented in the story through various passages and characters. It also compares the narrative structure and commentary on 1920s society between this story and Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby. Students are asked to analyze these elements in groups and link them to topics that will be important for their coursework.

1. F. Scott Fitzgerald – The Cut-Glass Bowl
Published: 1920

2. Lesson Objectives
By the end of today’s lesson, you should:
• Have an understanding of the plot of The CutGlass Bowl.
• Have an understanding of the language, form
and structure used in The Cut Glass Bowl.
(AO2)
• Be confident in making links between The Cut
Glass Bowl and The Great Gatsby. (AO3)

3. ‘The stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald
represented in this volume offer
abbreviated treatments of his
recurrent themes.’
Introduction to The Diamond as Big as the Ritz and Other Stories

4. The Plot – The Bowl
The story follows the relationship of Mr and Mrs Piper and its
development after the receipt of a wedding gift from one of Evelyn’s
previous suitors.
“I’m going to give a present that’s as hard as you are and as beautiful
and as empty and as easy to see through.” p. 24.
What do you think this statement expresses about how Carleton Canby
feels about Evelyn?
Do you think that Canby is praising Evelyn? Is her beauty presented as
a good or bad attribute?

5. The Plot – Tragic Events
Through the story, a number of tragic events are linked to the
cut-glass bowl.
Such events include:
• The discovery of Mr Gedney by Mr Piper.
• The injury to Julie’s thumb that results in the amputation of
her hand.
• The party that ends in a drunken row.
• The discovery of Donald’s death.
What do you understand from the motif of the bowl?
What does it represent?

6. Characters
• Evelyn Piper
• Harold Piper
• Carleton Canby
• Mrs Fairboalt
• Freddy Gedney
• The Ahearns

7. Language, Form and Structure –
Narrative Technique
As we have already talked about, the story tracks the marriage of Mr
and Mrs Piper.
How is the story narrated?
Do we see the thoughts and feelings of any of the characters?
Is the story told in chronological order?
What might we understand from the tense of the narrative?
How does this narrative structure differ to that used in The Great
Gatsby?

8. Fitzgerald and Society
Fitzgerald’s stories comment upon the society of
his time.
How do Fitzgerald’s stories present the society
of his time?
• Optimistic? Pessimistic?
• Sympathetically? Unsympathetically?

9. Themes – Love and Marriage
‘Harold arrived and, coming up to her room,
threatened in a suspiciously jovial tone to kiss her
thirty-five times for her birthday.’
The Cut-Glass Bowl, page 30.
Do you think that the Pipers are happily married?
What do you think were the motives behind their marriage?
How might the affair between Evelyn and Fred Gedney be similar to the
affairs presented in the Great Gatsby?
Consider our contextual understanding of marriage during Fitzgerald’s era!

10. Themes - Materialism
‘…they sat down and wrote thank you notes for
all sorts of cut glass presents – punch-bowls,
finger-bowls, dinner-glasses, wine-glasses, icecream dishes, decanters, and cases.’
‘a promenading cat knocked the little bowl off
the side board, and the hired girl chipped the
middle-sized one with the sugar dish.’
Both from The Cut-Glass Bowl, page 23.

11. Key Themes
Each table group will be given a piece of flipchart
paper and a key theme from the story. In your table
groups produce a spider diagram noting how each
of the themes is presented in the text and how this
might link to The Great Gatsby? After five minutes,
all groups will pass the flipchart paper to the table
next to them.
These links are extremely important to your
coursework task!