I was curious about the epigraph in the beginning of the novel:
"Then wear the gold hat, if that will move her;
If you can bounce high bounce for her too,
Till she cry "Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,
I must have you!"
~Thomas Parke D'Invilliers
It turns out that D'Invilliers is not a real person but a character from Fitzgerald's quasi-autobiographical novel, "This Side of Paradise."D'Invilliers is also a pen name for Fitzgerald. I find Fitzgerald's decision to choose a fictional character's piece of writing as the opening to his book interesting.
By using his pen name, I think Fitzgerald is strengthening the connection between The Great Gatsby and his own personal life. In class, we've already discussed how Daisy's character is very similar to Zelda, Fitzgerald's wife. Does anyone think there is a character in the novel that is a parallel to Fitzgerald?
ReplyDeleteI find it very intereting that Fitzgerald chose to use his own writing as his epigraph as most writer's choose to use te work of someone whose work they admire. In electing his own work to stand in a place usually used for an author one respect's Fitzgerald is sending an interesting message about himself. Why do you think he chose to use his own writing as his epigraph? I also find it interesting that he wrote under a pen name. This reminds me a bit of Gatsby who essentialy lived his life as a pen name.
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