The Trio Of Society, Self And Text

The decade of1920s was a peculiar period in the history of the United States.After the First World War, economic boom and a deceptive affluence appeared.Traditional conventions and old more codes fade, but consumerism and hedonismprevailed. The period was called “Roaring Twenties” or “Jazz Age”. However, behindthe flourish of the twenties there were spiritual depression and confusion. The writermost associated with the era was F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is universally accepted asthe “poet laureate” of the Jazz Age, the spokesman of “The Lost Generation” and anexcelled “historiographer” of that time. In his masterpiece The Great Gatsby,Fitzgerald portrayed a panoramic picture of his age. It is also an autobiographicalwork which can be taken as the projection of Fitzgerald’s life and thoughts.Psychoanalytical theories opened a new sight for the studies of literary works andhave been applied more and more widely.Generally speaking, literature has always been inseparable from society andhistory. The society and history exert impact on the literary works. On the other hand,literary works mirrored the particular society and history. In the same way, the writeris influenced by the time he lives in. In the thesis, Fitzgerald’s life experiences, thesocial background and culture will be talked about and the psychoanalytical theorieswill be applied in the analysis of text in terms of its characters, theme and therelationship between the main characters and Fitzgerald. In most parts of the thesis,society, Fitzgerald and the text were interwoven as much as possible in the hope ofbetter understanding of the novel and that peculiar time.