Great Gatsby
The Linguistic Style of F. Scott Fitzgerald in The Great Gatsby
As The New Lexicon Webster 's Dictionary of the English Language tells us, linguistics is the scientific study of language or languages whether from a historical and comparative (diachronic) or from a descriptive, structural (synchronic) point of view. Linguistics is concerned with the system of sounds of language; for example, sound change (phonology), its inflections and word formation (morphology), its sentence structure (syntax), and its meaning changes (semantics), as well as other minor features such as grammar and spelling. Linguistic style is what helps to separate one author 's literary work from anyone else 's; it is the cornerstone of what makes an author 's work unique …show more content…
When he describes a scene or a setting, a mental image of the place being described constructs itself inside your mind, almost as if you were watching a room in a house being built piece by piece. For example, when Nick Carraway first enters the living room of the Buchanan 's palatial estate, Fitzgerald 's descriptions make it impossible not to envision such a room: a "bright, rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end." By using such concrete concepts as color and lighting, Fitzgerald creates an unmistakable setting. When reading a place as described by Fitzgerald, one feels that he or she knows that place, and if able to travel to that place, that he or she would not be surprised in any way by the particulars of the setting. Instead of using abstract ideas and concepts to describe a scene, such as feelings or memories a character may have about a place, Fitzgerald chooses to make places real to the reader 's mind by using concrete nouns and verbs such as colors, textures, smells, sounds, and other particulars that a person 's senses would detect. In doing so, Fitzgerald invites the reader to use their own sensual experiences to shape mental images. Most of the descriptive terms Fitzgerald employs are concepts all humans are familiar with. Every person knows the difference …show more content…
That The Great Gatsby stands strong as an important work of historical fiction, and not just as a historical text alone, is a testament to Fitzgerald 's genius and foresight. In this book, he has created a masterpiece that has stood the test of time; a novel which is truly a slice of life, a snapshot of a much different time in America 's history, when people had dissimilar values and aims than our own. It has been said in certain circles that The Great Gatsby is "the great American novel," and with good reason. It has remained as fresh, vibrant, and important in the nearly eighty years since it was first published, and will continue to amaze and delight generations to
As The New Lexicon Webster 's Dictionary of the English Language tells us, linguistics is the scientific study of language or languages whether from a historical and comparative (diachronic) or from a descriptive, structural (synchronic) point of view. Linguistics is concerned with the system of sounds of language; for example, sound change (phonology), its inflections and word formation (morphology), its sentence structure (syntax), and its meaning changes (semantics), as well as other minor features such as grammar and spelling. Linguistic style is what helps to separate one author 's literary work from anyone else 's; it is the cornerstone of what makes an author 's work unique …show more content…
When he describes a scene or a setting, a mental image of the place being described constructs itself inside your mind, almost as if you were watching a room in a house being built piece by piece. For example, when Nick Carraway first enters the living room of the Buchanan 's palatial estate, Fitzgerald 's descriptions make it impossible not to envision such a room: a "bright, rosy-colored space, fragilely bound into the house by French windows at either end." By using such concrete concepts as color and lighting, Fitzgerald creates an unmistakable setting. When reading a place as described by Fitzgerald, one feels that he or she knows that place, and if able to travel to that place, that he or she would not be surprised in any way by the particulars of the setting. Instead of using abstract ideas and concepts to describe a scene, such as feelings or memories a character may have about a place, Fitzgerald chooses to make places real to the reader 's mind by using concrete nouns and verbs such as colors, textures, smells, sounds, and other particulars that a person 's senses would detect. In doing so, Fitzgerald invites the reader to use their own sensual experiences to shape mental images. Most of the descriptive terms Fitzgerald employs are concepts all humans are familiar with. Every person knows the difference …show more content…
That The Great Gatsby stands strong as an important work of historical fiction, and not just as a historical text alone, is a testament to Fitzgerald 's genius and foresight. In this book, he has created a masterpiece that has stood the test of time; a novel which is truly a slice of life, a snapshot of a much different time in America 's history, when people had dissimilar values and aims than our own. It has been said in certain circles that The Great Gatsby is "the great American novel," and with good reason. It has remained as fresh, vibrant, and important in the nearly eighty years since it was first published, and will continue to amaze and delight generations to