- Comes from a student currently attending Oxford University who received 4 A*s at A Level
- It is a comparison essay (the final question in Paper 1)
- Compares the Great Gatsby and the Pre-1900 poetry
- It is a good example of a good but attainable level of writing
Uitgebreide Litarary analysis EN samenvatting van The Great Gatsby
A Level Comparison Essay on Time and Relationships - The Great Gatsby and Pre-1900 Poetry
Summary of connections and comparisons of A Level English Literature: Gatsby and Love Poetry through the Ages
All for this textbook (14)
Written for
A/AS Level
AQA
English Literature A
Love Through the Ages
All documents for this subject (38)
1
review
By: myaklx24 • 7 months ago
Seller
Follow
abbyedwards9854
Reviews received
Content preview
C/W 28/03/21
Compare how F.Scott Fitzgerald and the pre-1900 love poets you have studied
present the pursuit of love. In your answer you must refer to at least 2 poems in
detail, but answers might use up to 3-4 poems if relevant.
In Jay Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy in ‘The Great Gatsby’, Sir Thomas Wyatt’s pursuit of Anne
Boleyn in ‘Who so list to hount I knowe where is an hynde’ and the speaker’s pursuit of the
‘lady’ in John Keat’s poem, ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci. A Ballad’, they all fail to capture the
pursued. But there are varying consequences as a result of the pursuit, with death in ‘The
Great Gatsby’ (by F. Scott Fitzgerald) to no resolution in ‘Who So’. In all three texts, the
pursued is represented in a female that is desirable but is ultimately unattainable and
arguably does not want the pursuit. However, the pursued are arguably portrayed to be at
fault for the end result of the pursuit.
Gatsby cannot accept the fruitlessness of his relentless pursuit of Daisy, much like the
‘knight’ in ‘La Belle’, however, Wyatt has accepted the futility of the pursuit. Gatsby believes
that he can transcend the barriers (such as time, class and Daisy’s marriage) in his pursuit
to such an extent that when he sees Pammy, ‘he kept looking at the child with surprise’ as if
‘he had [n]ever really believed in its existence before.’ Gatsby’s shock is demonstrated with
the verb ‘kept’ which illustrates the magnitude of his disbelief at Pammy, who is a physical
manifestation of Tom and Daisy’s love, because her ‘existence’ causes the fracturing of his
illusion of Daisy’s life in the last five years. By showing Gatsby’s utter shock at the
disintegration of his dream, Fitzgerald is critiquing the allure and illusion of the American
Dream as it has made Gatsby believe that he can overcome barriers that are impenetrable in
his pursuit. In contrast, Wyatt knows that he must ‘drawe from the Deere’ but ‘faynting’ he
follows, showing the paradoxical nature of this pursuit as he has accepted the inevitability of
his failure, unlike Gatsby, yet he is putting himself through physical pain to continue his
pursuit. Wyatt acknowledges that he ‘seke[s] to hold the wynde’ with ‘a nett’, with ‘wynde’
being a metaphor for Boleyn’s wild, natural and untamed nature, similar to La Belle Dame’s
‘wild wild’ personality. By doing this, Wyatt knows that he cannot transcend the barrier to
his lust, which is actually the pursued woman’s desires, which is very similar to the ‘Belle
Dame’ arguably being a barrier to the knight’s love. This can be seen as the ‘lady … lulled’
him to sleep and abandoned him on the ‘cold hill’s side’, showing that she left him to battle
the elements by himself after making him feel a sense of security in their love, much like
Daisy does to Gatsby. However, throughout the poem, there is a suggestion that the
speaker misinterprets the Belle Dame’s actions as ‘she wept’ and he ‘shut her wild wild
eyes’. The repetition of ‘wild’ highlights the ‘knight’ glorifying his capture of the ‘lady’ as he
sees himself as someone who is worthy of her love. The ‘knight’ tries to continue to pursue
a relationship with the lady as he ‘shut’ down her negative emotions and tears with ‘kisses’,
connoting that he is trying to control her emotions towards him. This is comparable to
Gatsby trying to persuade Daisy that she never loved Tom, highlighting both the ‘knight’ and
Gatsby continue to pursue an illusion of their love because they cannot face a reality of
imperfect love (in Gatsby’s case) or rejection (in ‘La Belle’).
Furthermore, in all three texts, the pursued women either do not want to be pursued or are
married and therefore, should not be pursued, arguing that the hopeless nature of the
pursuit should be obvious, destroying the idea that the women are entirely to blame for
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller abbyedwards9854. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for $5.67. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
