All introductions need...
The Turnabout Introduction
Version 1
In The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is a master of illusion, a dreamer who erases his humble past and transforms himself into a gentleman everyone knows of, but no one really knows. Living in a resplendent West Egg mansion and hosting extravagant parties, he seems to have realized all of his boyhood dreams. However, for the simple reason that he is in love, Gatsby is not content. Love should bring him joy, instead it fails him, destroys his dreams and ultimately brings him to ruin.
Version 2
Jay Gatsby is a dreamer who erases his humble past and transforms himself into a elegant gentleman. Living in a resplendent West Egg mansion and hosting extravagant parties, he seems to have realized all of his boyhood dreams. However, for the simple reason that he is hopelessly in love, Gatsby is never truly content. Love should bring him joy and comfort, instead it ambushes him, corrupts his dreams and ultimately ruins him.
· At what point does the introduction actually “turn around”?
· Why do I prefer the second version?
The Classic Funnel (two approaches)
F. Scott Fitzgerald once considered the title The High-Bouncing Lover for the novel that eventually became The Great Gatsby. But he abandoned that idea, perhaps when he realized that his tale was too dark for such an optimistic title. Gatsby is, after all, a tragic hero in the classic sense, a man doomed by noble but flawed intentions. So it is fitting that love is his downfall. It should bring him joy; instead it ambushes him, corrupts his dreams and ultimately ruins him.
When it comes to matters of the heart, The Great Gatsby is a wary novel. Characters like Daisy and Tom marry out of convenience and accept adultery as a given. Others, like Myrtle and Gatsby, place their loves on pedestals only to be crushed when they fall short of their expectations. In short, the wise should approach love with caution or avoid it altogether, for despite its magic, love is primarily a destructive force that brings the characters to ruin.
· Hey, why is it called the “funnel” again?
· How general are the first lines? How specific?
Starting with a Quotation or a Literary Allusion
The Tragedy of Gatsby
In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo calls love “a sea nourished with loving tears…/a madness most discreet,/ a choking gall, and a preserving sweet” (1.2.35-36). Love is a torture he cannot resist, for it is also his dream, a hope that can bring meaning to a lonely Verona summer. Jay Gatsby is also taunted by love. He assumes that it will bring him joy, and as he approaches his dream he, too, experiences a “madness most discreet.” In the end, however, that same love that drives Shakespeare’s tragic hero to violent extremes, ambushes Gatsby, corrupts his ideals and leaves him vulnerable to destruction by others.
· Is it clear enough that this is an essay primarily about Gatsby?
· Would you be let down if Romeo was mentioned only in the beginning and end?
· How does the writer go about establishing his credibility?
· Do these introductions have any emotional appeal?
· Which introduction do you think is the strongest? The weakest?