Fitzgerald uses various narrative techniques to establish characters and set the scene in Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby. He contrasts the East and West Eggs to represent the old and new money in 1920s New York society. Characters like Tom, Daisy, Jordan and the mysterious Gatsby are introduced, showing their personalities and relationships. The chapter is told from the perspective of the narrator, Nick Carraway, who acts as an observer of this world. The setting and characters begin to set up central themes of class, wealth, and the American Dream that will continue in the story.

1. The Great Gatsby
• Chapter 1:
- We will begin with a quiz!

2. In what year is The Great Gatsby
set?
a) 1925
b) 1924
c) 1923
d) 1922

3. Where is Nick from?
a) California
b) New York
c) The Mid-West
d) Florida

4. How are Daisy and Nick related?
a) They are brother and sister
b) They are married
c) They are step-siblings
d) They are cousins

5. Why does Nick move to New York?
a)To become a lawyer
b)To learn about the bond business
c)To attend college
d)To attend medical school

6. Where were Nick and Tom
educated?
a) Yale
b) Harvard
c) Princeton
d) Duke

7. What is Jordan Baker’s
occupation?
a) Softball pitcher
b) Secretary
c) Philanthropist
d) Golfer

8. Voice (point of view)
Unreliable Narrator : Nick Carraway
• How would you describe his
narrative?
• How would you describe his writing
style ? (A02: Language, form and
structure)
• Describe his personality. What do
we know so far about his life, his
interests, his past?
• Is he judgemental?
• How does he want us to perceive
his character?
• (pg 7 m. 8 9 10)

10. • The areas of East Egg and West Egg in Long Island find isolation
not just geographically, “separated only by a courtesy bay” (9),
but more significantly in spirit.
• The East Egg consists of the already established wealthy class that
has been part of the aristocracy for generations.
• The West Egg, in contrast, attracts the “nouveau riche,” those that
had more than likely been born under less comfortable
circumstances and who suddenly find themselves well-to-do. The
"new money" try desperately to situate themselves on to that
level of wealth that the people of the East Egg perch on, but
ultimately realize the difficulty of doing so.
• The denizens of the East Egg will never accept them as equals;
they consider the West Egg inhabitants severely lacking in
sophistication. They come to these parties only to ridicule the
festivities around them. They adhere to the notion that true
classiness stems from upbringing alone and can not be mastered if
one starts too late in life.

11. Aspects of Narrative: Setting
• What is the significance
of the setting?
• 1920s New York

12. Using setting to characterise the Tom
Buchanans
• Extract: read pg 11-12

13. Homework (due on Tuesday)
Produce mind-maps for each of the characters
introduced so far:
•Nick
•Tom
•Daisy
•Jordan
You must include appearance, personality,
relationships etc and LOTS OF QUOTATIONS!

14. Character
• Character in this sense refers not just to the people in the
story but, much more importantly, to their character traits
and how they are revealed: this is known as
characterisation. Characters in fictional texts are usually
described early on, as part of the establishment of the text.
• In narrative poems a couple of features are often enough
to pin down not just what the character looks like, but
what the character is like in a broader sense. Just as a
name can conjure up ideas about a character’s moral
qualities, so can a description of their appearance. Authors
can also signal aspects of character by giving their creations
distinctive speech manners, or mannerisms. Sometimes
these can be used to represent social class.

15. Characters and characterisation
• The representation of people – why did the
author create these characters in this way?
• Names
• Appearance
• How are the characters created?
• Direct speech?
• Characters as symbols/representative ‘types’?

16. CHARACTERS: Tom Buchanan
• pp. 12-13

17. Daisy Buchanan
• P. 14
• P.21

18. Jordan Baker
• P. 16, 17, 23

19. Gatsby
• Gatsby • Character grid
Extract pg 25

20. Time and sequence
• How does Fitzgerald
structure chapter 1?
(opening section, the
point at which the
main events begin,
page breaks and
pauses)

21. Plenary
• What are the main themes of the story so
far?

22. Homework – AO4 Context
• Find textual evidence or refer to parts of
chapter 1 that link to the significance of the
era in which the story is set.
- Money, wealth, status, boost in the economy,
end of war, celebration, race. ( The roaring
twenties. The american dream.)

23. AS English Literature B
The Aspects of Narrative exam

24. • The exam you are going to sit is in two
sections. Each section lasts for 1 hour. Yes
mathematicians, that means the exam is 2
hours long.

25. The exam is designed to focus on four assessment
objectives. These are as follows:
AO1 – Articulate creative, informed and relevant responses to literary texts,
using appropriate terminology and concepts, and coherent, accurate written
expression
In other words, how well you can write and structure an argument
AO2 - Demonstrate detailed critical understanding in analysing the ways in
which structure, form and language shape meanings in literary texts
In other words, closely analyse the use of form, structure and language in the
text(s) you are writing about
AO3 - Explore connections and comparisons between different literary texts,
informed by interpretations of other readers
In other words, how texts compare to one another, and how you interpret the
texts
AO4 - Demonstrate understanding of the significance and influence of the
contexts in which literary texts are written and received
In other words, the context in which the text was written and received

26. Section A
• Section A of the exam requires you to focus in detail on one
of your set texts. The choice is yours as to which of the 4 texts
you choose to write about in this section, since there is one
question on each text set by the board. You can answer on
either a novel or a poet, it doesn’t matter.
• Section A is itself split into two questions. You have to answer
both parts of each question, spending around 30 minutes on
each mini essay. Each part is assessing particular skills, so it’s
important to be aware of what these are before you start.
Since these are mini-essays, you don’t have time to fart about
– get straight to the point. This means you don’t even always
need an introduction, unless you think it’s necessary. Just two
to three focused body paragraphs and a brief conclusion
should do it.

27. Section A, question 1
• Question 1 is entirely focused on AO2, how the writer uses
form, structure and language in their text. You don’t need to
worry about the other assessment objectives here. That
doesn’t mean to say that you can completely ignore how to
write coherently, but it should get you thinking about how to
focus. These questions will ask you a specific question about
one or two chapters or poems from your set text. They will
name the chapter(s) or poem(s) they want you to write
about. There are 21 marks on offer here.
• The secret to doing well at these questions is to be really
focused on form, structure and language, and to provide a
really close reading of what you are writing about.

28. Let’s recap on what form, structure
and language mean:
• Form – the kind or type of text, i.e. novel or poem, but also
the kind of novel or poem it is (genre, ballad, lyric poem, etc)
and how It makes use of or challenges the conventions of its
genre.
• Structure – how the text is organised and put together. Why
has the author structured the text or part of the text in the
way they have? What are they seeking to achieve or convey?
• Language – why has the author made the linguistic choices
they have? This is particularly important with poetry in terms
of imagery, but it is also important in novels in terms of
characterisation, amongst other things.

29. What do these questions look like?
• Here are a few sample questions:
• What methods does Hardy use to create settings in
The Darkling Thrush and At Castle Boterel?
• Write about the ways Rossetti tells the story in
Winter: My Secret.
• Compare the narrative of Appendix I with the
narrative of Appendix II in Enduring Love.
• Write about the ways that Fitzgerald tells the story in
Chapter 7 of The Great Gatsby.

30. Mark band descriptors
• Band 6 - Evaluation
• Band 5 - Analysis
• Band 4 - Explanation
• Band 3 - Some understanding
• Band 2 - Some awareness
• Band 1 - Very little grasp

31. How are these marked? What are the examiners looking for?
Band AO Performance Typical answers might be characterised by the following
Descriptors descriptions
Band 6 AO2 Evaluation of how the • Several points fully developed and evaluated; structure/voice
(19-21) author’s narrative evaluated; excellent illustration
methods work • integrated evaluation of the story and authorial method
Band 5 AO2 Analysis of how the • several points fully developed and analysed; likely to be good
(15-18) author’s narrative analysis of structure/voice; well illustrated
methods work • very good sense of the writer constructing the story
Band 4 AO2 Explanation of how • several points developed and explained; likely to be some
(11-14) the author’s narrative explanation of structure/voice; clear illustration
methods work • clear explanation of how the writer constructs the story
Band 3 AO2 Some understanding of • several points developed; points likely to be more than just
(7-10) how the author’s language; development is likely to be straight-forward with some
narrative methods illustration
work • beginnings of a connection between authorial method and the story
Band 2 AO2 Some awareness of • several points mentioned; likely to be at word level, but could be
(4-6) how the author’s other methods; possibly some vague or simple illustration; or 1 or 2
narrative methods points identified with some discussion/ some simple illustration
work • some awareness of the over-arching story with some awareness of
the writer’s craft
Band 1 AO2 Very little grasp of • 1 or 2 points mentioned; likely to be at word level; possibly some
(1-3) how the author’s vague or simple illustration
narrative methods • some bits of plot or character are mentioned
work

32. Form, structure and language: aspects
of Narrative
• Scenes and Places
• Time and Sequence
• Characters and characterisation
• Voices in texts
• Points of view
• Destination

33. Scenes and places
• Where is the chapter / poem set?
• The country? The city? Houses? Rooms?
• The period?
• What do the scenes and places SYMBOLISE?
• Pathetic fallacy / objective correlative?

34. Time and Sequence
• What period of time does the chapter cover?
• During what period in history is the text set?
How is this suggested in the text?
• Chronology (Beginning? Ending? Is it a linear
narrative? Are there flashbacks? Time frames
– different timescales within each other?)
• How is the chapter structured?
• How does the chapter fit within the novel as a
whole?

35. Characters and characterisation
• The representation of people – why did the
author create these characters in this way?
• Names
• How are the characters created?
• Direct speech?
• Characters as symbols/representative ‘types’?

36. Voices in texts
• Direct speech and attribution
• Indirect speech
• What does the narrator sound like?
• How is the voice created?

37. Points of View
• Ideology?
• The impact of the narrator?
• Proximity to the action
• Shifting perspectives
• Competing viewpoints?

38. Destination
• Reading as a journey (what do we
learn/experience along the way?)
• Where are these texts going?
• What different interpretations are possible?

39. A question from the June 2011
exam
• 29. Write about some of the ways Fitzgerald
tells the story in Chapter 1.
• 30 mins

40. Scenes and Places
• How does Fitgerald characterise the difference
between the Middle West and the East on pages
8-12?
• How does Fitzgerald establish Nick’s fascination
with East and West Egg – and Gatsby in particular
- on pages 10-12?
• How does Fitzgerald use setting to characterise
the Tom Buchanans on pages 11-25?
• Gatsby’s lawn and the dock

41. Time and sequence
• How does Fitzgerald make use of structure in
chapter 1 of the novel? (Consider: the opening
section, where he chooses to begin the story,
page breaks and pauses)
• Begins with a generalised reflection of Nick
about himself, introduction to Gatsby’s
mansion but not Gatsby, visit to Tom and
Daisy’s, return home and mysterious sighting
of Gatsby

42. Characters and characterisation
• How is Gatsby introduced in chapter 1 and
what is interesting about this?
• How is Tom Buchanan characterised in
chapter 1?
• How is Daisy Buchanan characterised in
chapter 1?
• How is Jordan Baker characterised in chapter
1?

43. Voices in texts
• How does Fitzgerald establish a voice for Nick Caraway
in this opening chapter? What is revealed by this?
• Narrative perspective/ voices: first person narrator,
self-conscious story-teller and author
• Use of choric voices and rumour, voices of Tom, Daisy,
Jordan, naive reflections of the participant narrator,
etc.
• Educated prose, moralising sententiousness of the
start, use of poetic prose, use of dialogue, intertextual
references, references to American history, use of
dates, places descriptive detail, sensual description of
the women, use of colour, use of irony, significance of
names

44. Points of View
• What use does Fitzgerald make of point of
view in chapter 1? (consider: ideology,
different viewpoints, class, morality etc)
• In what ways is Nick established as an
unreliable narrator in chapter 1?

45. Destination
• Conclusion: what overall impact has the
chapter had on you?
• What themes has it helped to set up?
• What issues has it raised?
• Where does it leave us?

46. Homework
• Read chapter 2