"F. Scott Fitzgerald is, without doubt, one of the most visual of the American fiction writers of the 1920's. Visual categorization--that is, a particular form of seeing--is not only a theme of his major novels and short stories; it is also a distinctive feature of his narrative style and technique. A good novelist writes scenes that are memorable, for his visual imagination and powers of description are directed by a keen determination to record fully and accurately a specific moment of perception. In his novels, Fitzgerald uses verbal descriptions as a filmmaker uses the lens of his camera to select, to highlight, to distort, and to enhance--in short, to create a visualized world that is both recognizable and is yet more vivid, intense, and dramatically charged than actuality." from Kundu's doctoral thesis, p. 42

Idea 1: Write a script for Chapter 1 (excellent notebook work...)

CHARACTERS:

NICK CARRAWAY
TOM BUCHANAN
DAISY BUCHANAN
JORDAN BAKER
BUTLER (if needed)

1. Review the scene in Chapter 1 in which Nick visits Daisy and Tom's house in East Egg. Who's there? What are they like? What happens?

2. Write your script. The first line should be Daisy's, "I'm p-paralyzed with happiness" (delivered as Nick and Tom are walking into the room). Most of the following lines can be lifted directly from the text (use Fitzgerald's wording). The last line of your scene should be Tom's, "Very romantic... If it's light after dinner I'll take you down to the stables."

3. Imagine/cast/rehearse your scene. Consider how Nick describes these people as you decide how they speak and hold themselves (i.e. Tom's physicality, Daisy's voice, the way Jordan holds herself).

Idea 2: Not into scripting? Try this instead: F. Scott Fitzgerald does a remarkable job of telling us about the people we meet in this first Chapter. His words and phrases are carefully chosen to lead us to a particular vision of each person, but he rarely articulates how all of these things come together. To see how he does this, follow these steps:

1. Choose either Daisy or Tom.

2. Read carefully through the first chapter and make a list of all the adjectives and phrases that describe the character you chose.

3. Now try to organize your list in some way.

4. Finally, write a paragraph showing exactly who this person is.