了不起的盖茨比英文读书笔记

1、The Great Gatsby ReviewThe Great Gatsby is probably F. Scott Fitzgerald* s greatest novela book that offers damning and insightful views of the American nouveau riche in the 1920sThe Great Gatsby is an American classic and a wonderfully evocative work. Like much of Fitzgerald* s prose, it is neat an

2、d wellcrafted. Fitzgerald seems to have had a brilliant understanding of lives that are corrupted by greed and incredibly sad and unfulfilled. The novel is a product of its generationwith one of American literatures most powerful characters in the figure of Jay Gatsby, who is urbane and world-weary

3、Gatsby is really nothing more than a man desperate for love.The AuthorF. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul Minnesota His first noveFs success made him famous and let him marry the woman he loved, but he later descended into drinking and his wife had a mental breakdown Foll

4、owing the unsuccessful Tender is the Night、Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood and became a scriptwriter. He died of a heart attack in 1940, at age 44, his final novel only half completed OverviewThe Great Gatsby is a story told by Nick Carraway, who was once Gatsbys neighbor, and he tells the story somet

5、ime after 1922, when the incidents that fill the book take place As the story opens, Nick has just moved from the Midwest to West Egg, Long Island, seeking his fortune as a bond salesman. Shortly after his arrival, Nick travels across the Sound to the more fashionable East Egg to visit his cousin Da

6、isy Buchanan and her husband, Tom, a hulking, imposing man whom Nick had known in college. There he meets professional golfer Jordan Baker. The Buchanans and Jordan Baker live privileged lives, contrasting sharply in sensibility and luxury with Nicks more modest and grounded lifestyle When Nick retu

7、rns home that evening, he notices his neighbor, Gatsby, mysteriously standing in the dark and stretching his arms toward the water, and a solitary green light across the Sound.One day, Nick is invited to accompany Tom, a blatant adulterer, to meet his mistress, Myrtle Wilson, a middle-class woman wh

8、ose husband runs a modest garage and gas station in the valley of ashes, a desolate and run-down section of town that marks the convergence of the city and the suburbs. After the group meets and journeys into the city, Myrtle phones friends to come over and they all spend the afternoon drinking at M

9、yrtle and Toms apartment. The afternoon is filled with diunken behavior and ends ominously with Myrtle and Tom fighting over Daisy, his wife Drunkenness turns to rage and Tom, in one deft movement, breaks Myrtle*s noseFollowing the description of this incident, Nick turns his attention to his myster

10、ious neighbor, who hosts weekly parties for the rich and fashionable. Upon Gatsb/s invitation (which is noteworthy because rarely is anyone ever invited to Gatsbys parties they just show up, knowing they will not be turned away), Nick attends one of the extravagant gatherings. There, he bumps into J

11、ordan Baker, as well as Gatsby himself. Gatsby, it turns out, is a gracious host, but yet remains apart from his guest an observer more than a participant as if he is seeking something. As the party winds down, Gatsby takes Jordan aside to speak privately. Although the reader isnt specifically told

12、what they discuss, Jordan is greatly amazed by what shes learnedAs the summer unfolds, Gatsby and Nick become friends and Jordan and Nick begin to see each other on a regular basis, despite Nicks conviction that she is notoriously dishonest (which offends his sensibilities because he is one of the f

13、ew honest people* he has ever met). Nick and Gatsby journey into the city one day and there Nick meets Meyer Wolfshiem, one of Gatsbys associates and Gatsbys link to organized crime. On that same day, while having tea with Jordan Baker, Nick learns the amazing story that Gatsby told her the night of

14、 his party. Gatsby, it appears, is in love with Daisy Buchanan. They met years earlier when he was in the army but could not be together because he did not yet have the means to support her. In the intervening years, Gatsby made his fortune, all with the goal of winning Daisy back He bought his hous

15、e so that he would be across the Sound from her and hosted the elaborate parties in the hopes that she would notice It has come time for Gatsby to meet Daisy again, face-tface, and so, through the intermediary of Jordan Baker, Gatsby asks Nick to invite Daisy to his little house where Gatsby will sh

16、ow up unannouncedThe day of the meeting arrives Nicks house is perfectly prepared, due largely to the generosity of the hopeless romantic Gatsby, who wants every detail to be perfect for his reunion with his lost love. When the former lovers meet, their reunion is slightly nervous, but shortly, the

17、two are once again comfortable with each other, leaving Nick to feel an outsider in the warmth the two people radiate. As the afternoon progresses, the three move the party from Nick*s house to Gatsbys, where he takes special delight in showing Daisy his meticulously decorated house and his impressi

18、ve array of belongings, as if demonstrating in a very tangible way just how far out of poverty he has traveled At this point, Nick again lapses into memory, relating the story of Jay Gatsby. Born James Gatz to ”shiftless and unsuccessful farm people,* Gatsby changed his name at seventeen, about the

19、same time he met Dan Cody. Cody would become Gatsb/s mentor, taking him on in a vague personal capacity” for five years as he went three times around the Continent. By the time of Codys death, Gatsby had grown into manhood and had defined the man he would become Never again would he acknowledge his

20、meager past; from that point on, armed with a fabricated family history, he was Jay Gatsby, entrepreneur.Moving back to the present, we discover that Daisy and Tom will attend one of Gatsby*s parties Tom, of course, spends his time chasing women, while Daisy and Gatsby sneak over to Nicks yard for a

21、 moments privacy while Nick, accomplice in the affair, keeps guard After the Buchanans leave, Gatsby tells Nick of his secret desire: to recapture the past. Gatsby, the idealistic dreamer, firmly believes the past can be recaptured in its entirety. Gatsby then goes on to tell what it is about his pa

22、st with Daisy that has made such an impact on him.As the summer unfolds, Gatsby and Daisys affair begins to grow and they see each other regularly. On one fateful day, the hottest and most unbearable of the summer, Gatsby and Nick journey to East Egg to have lunch with the Buchanans and Jordan Baker

23、. Oppressed by the heat. Daisy suggests they take solace in a trip to the city. No longer hiding her love for Gatsby, Daisy pays him special attention and Tom deftly picks up on what s going on. As the party prepares to leave for the city, Tom fetches a bottle of whiskey Tom, Nick, and Jordan drive

24、in Gatsbys car, while Gatsby and Daisy drive Toms coupe Low on gas, Tom stops Gatsby car at Wilsons gas station, where he sees that Wilson is not well. Like Tom, who has just learned of Daisys affair, Wilson has just learned of Myrtles secret life although he does not know who the man is and it has

25、made him physically sick Wilson announces his plans to take Myrtle out West, much to Toms dismay. Tom has lost a wife and a mistress all in a matter of an hour. Absorbed in his own fears, Tom hastily drives into the city.The group ends up at the Plaza hotel, where they continue drinking, moving the

26、day closer and closer to its tragic end Tom, always a hot-head, begins to badger Gatsby, questioning him as to his intentions with Daisy. Decidedly tactless and confrontational, Toni keeps harping on Gatsby until the tiuth comes out: Gatsby wants Daisy to admit shes never loved Tom but that, instead

27、, she has always loved him. When Daisy is unable to do this, Gatsby declares that Daisy is going to leave Tom. Tom, though, understands Daisy far better than Gatsby does and knows she wont leave him: His wealth and power, matured through generations of privilege, will triumph over Gatsbys newly foun

28、d wealth In a gesture of authority, Tom orders Daisy and Gatsby to head home in Gatsbys car. Tom, Nick, and Jordan follow.As Toms car nears Wilsons garage, they can all see that some sort of accident has occurred. Pulling over to investigate, they learn that Myrtle Wilson, Toms mistress, has been hi

29、t and killed by a passing car that never bothered to stop, and it appears to have been Gatsbys car. Tom, Jordan, and Nick continue home to East Egg. Nick, now disgusted by the morality and behavior of the people with whom he has been on friendly terms, meets Gatsby outside of the Buchanans* house wh

30、ere he is keeping watch for Daisy. With a few well-chosen questions, Nick learns that Daisy, not Gatsby, was driving the car, although Gatsby confesses he will take all the blame Nick, greatly agitated by all that he has experienced during the day, continues home, but an overarching feeling of dread

31、 haunts him.Nearing dawn the next morning, Nick goes to Gatsby*s house While the two men turn the house upside down looking for cigarettes, Gatsby tells Nick more about how he became the man he is and how Daisy figured into his life. Later that morning, while at work, Nick is unable to concentrate H

32、e receives a phone call from Jordan Baker, but is quick to end the discussion and thereby the friendship He plans to take an early train home and check on Gatsby.The action then switches back to Wilson who, distraught over his wife*s death, sneaks out and goes looking for the driver who killed Myrtl

33、e Nick retraces Wilsons journey, which placed him, by early afternoon, at Gatsbys house Wilson murders Gatsby and then turns the gun on himself.After Gatsby*s death, Nick is left to help make arrangements for his burial. What is most perplexing, though, is that no one seems overly concerned with Gat

34、sby*s death. Daisy and Tom mysteriously leave on a trip and all the people who so eagerly attended his parties, drinking his liquor and eating his food, refuse to become involved Even Meyer Wolfshiem, Gatsby s business partner, refuses to publicly mourn his friends death. A telegram from Henry C Gat

35、z, Gatsbys father, indicates he will be coming from Minnesota to bury his son Gatsby*s funeral boasts only Nick, Henry Gatz, a few servants, the postman, and the minister at the graves id e. Despite all his popularity during his lifetime, in his death, Gatsby is completely forgottenNick, completely

36、disillusioned with what he has experienced in the East, prepares to head back to the Midwest. Before leaving, he sees Tom Buchanan one last time. When Tom notices him and questions him as to why he didnt want to shake hands, Nick curtly offers You know what I think of you. Their discussion reveals t

37、hat Tom was the impetus behind Gatsbys death When Wilson came to his house, he told Wilson that Gatsby owned the car that killed Myrtle. In Toms mind, he had helped justice along Nick, disgusted by the carelessness and cruel nature of Tom、Daisy, and those like them, leaves Tom, proud of his own inte

38、grity.On the last night before leaving, Nick goes to Gatsb/s mansion, then to the shore where Gatsby once stood, arms outstretched toward the green light. The novel ends prophetically, with Nick noting how we are all a little like Gatsby, boats moving up a river, going forward but continually feelin

39、g the pull of the past.The Great Gatsby is at once a romantic and cynical novel about the wealth and habits of a group of New Yorkers during the Jazz Age. Fitzgerald s writing is unassailably magnificent, as he paints a grim portrait of shallow characters who maneuver themselves into complex situati

40、ons. This classic American novel is required reading for a lot of high school students, and it can definitely be appreciated and understood on some levels by teenagers However, Fitzgeralds use of language and symbolism is best appreciated by mature readers able to analyze literature and think critic

41、ally. Some characters express racial and religious prejudiceSome Thoughts1“They were careless people, Tom and Daisythey smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money and vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess t

42、hey had made.vTliafs one of my fa*orite lilies from F. Scott Fitzgeralds The Great Gatsby, the greatest novel in 20th century American literature. The book is full of fantastic lines, from uher voice is fiill of moneys to uThafs all a gill can hope to be in this world, a beautiful little fboF With s

43、uch great lilies, it seems like a gi*eat candidate for adaptation into film.Such notions have so far been wrong The two surviving movie versions of The Great Gatsby are homble, and many have deemed Fitzgeralds masteipieceTo my own surprise, however, Baz Lurhman (Romeo + Juliet is laughably bad), has

44、 managed to achieve the impossible, and make a good film out of an amazing but peculiar novel.Of course, many cntics have denounced Lurhman，s newest project as mediocre. You can browse the Rotten Tomatoes page for yourself, but I have quite a different opinion. This surprises me, as my impressions f

45、rom the trailers weren good; Leonardo Dicaprio is, in my opinion, only a decent actor, and I wasn feeling the artistic direction Lurhman tookYou should understand how much I love the novel. I study English at college, and my area of greatest interest is the American modernist movement. Fitzgerald is

46、 a fine example of fantastic fiction writing. So, to say I hold The Great Gatsby near and dear to my heart would be an understatement.2. The story is good, but its honestly not a story you havent heard before To me, the beauty of The Great Gatsby is found in 1) Fitzgeralds prose and 2) the layers an

47、d layers and layers of complexity of the novel.In the realm of simple stories with all kinds of underlying complexity, The Great Gatsby is as good as they come Every character is rich, and I don mean monetarily rich.Even minor characters that come and go, like the owl-eyed man in Gatsby5s library、 s

48、erve a purpose .In that case, the owl-eyed manthe wise” one, if you willis the only person whos really on to Gatsbys double liE.Tlie list of symbols goes on and on: Dr. T.J. Eckleburgs eyes The gieen light on Daisys dock Tlie constant references to color in the bookAnd EVERY SINGLE WORD is written w

49、ith purpose. The book is so short and readable that its easy to just skip right past some of this stuff. And thafs okay, if you do. The Great Gatsby can be easily read as just a great story, but Fitzgerald did so much more with it.3. The unpredictable ending will leave you paralyzed as it did to me.

50、 This book shows you that you cant always get what you want. Even if you are the nchest person in the world, the world will always hold surprises for you Wrapped up with a good lesson, The Great Gatsby will never leave your mind. It will always be there like the green light on the Buchanans dock, fl

51、ashing; signaling sometliing more. As Nick says, So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.The American dream is an ideal that has been present since American literatures onset Typically, the dreamer aspires to rise from rags to riches, while accumulating such th

52、ings as love, high status, weal th, and power on his way to the top. The dream has had variations throughout different time periods, although it is generally based on ideas of freedom, self-reliance, and a deske for something greater. The early settleis, dream of traveling out West to find land and

53、start a family has gradually transformed into a materialistic vision of having a big house, a nice car, and a life of ease. In the past century, the American dream has increasingly focused on material items as an indication of attaining success. In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a self-made man who

54、 started out with no money nly a plan for achieving his dream He is so blinded by his luxurious possessions that he does not see that money cannot buy love or happiness Fitzgerald demonstrates how a dieam can become comipted by one focus on acquiring wealth, power, and expensive things.Gatsbys dream “is a naive dream based on the fallacious assumption that material possessions are synonymous with happiness, harmony, and beauty. His American dream has become corrupted by the culture of wealth