Fitzgerald's Metaphorical Sentences

One of my favorite things about Fitzgerald are his metaphorical sentences. Take this one for instance from the Great Gatsby:

The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens--finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. p. 6

How did he think of grass as running, jumping, and drifting up a wall under its own momentum??? How did he know it would make sense to the average reader? No analysis or interpretation is required to figure out what he must have had in mind--other than "burning gardens", I haven't quite figured that part out yet. Maybe it means exposed to the sun or that it contains red and orange flowers or maybe something else, but overall I got the lawn description.

Here are some more examples from the Great Gatsby. They're all creative, descriptive, and colorful. Some of them are a bit mysterious, but, by and far, Fitzgerald's metaphors are a lot more understandable than most authors...

The windows were ajar and gleaming against the fresh grass outside that seemed to grow a little way into the house. p. 8

Her face, above a spotted dress of dark blue crêpe-de-chine, contained no facet or gleam of beauty, but there was an immediately perceptible vitality about her as if the nerves of her body were continually smouldering. p. 25

...and had made the dim enlargement of Mrs. Wilson's mother which hovered like ectoplasm on the wall." p.30

...in his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among whisperings and champagne and the stars. p. 39

Laughter is easier minute by minute, spilled with prodigality, tipped out at a cheerful word. p. 40

...confident girls who weave here and there among the stouter and more stable, become for a sharp, joyous moment the center of a group, ... pp. 40-41

... non-olfactory money. p.68 [I still don't get this one]

No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart. p. 96 [ghostly?]

A universe of ineffable gaudiness spun itself out in his brain while the clock ticked on the washstand and the moon soaked with wet light his tangled clothes upon the floor. p. 99

...the rock of the world was founded securely on a fairy's wing. p. 99

...and drank nervous gayety with the cold ale. p. 118

"You look so cool." ... "You always look so cool", she repeated. ... She had told him that she loved him, and Tom Buchanan saw. He was astounded. p.119

The telephone book slipped from its nail and splashed to the floor, whereupon Jordan whispered, "Excuse me"--but this time no one laughed. p.127

So we drove on toward death through the cooling twilight. p. 136 [more of a foreshadow than a metaphor]

A new world, material without being real, where poor ghosts, breathing dreams like air, drifted fortuitously about ... like that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees. p. 161

Reference:
F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby. Scribner. 1925.

The Reeve's Tale & Prior Text

In Chaucer's "Steward's Tale", also known as the "Reeve's Tale", the main theme is "you get what you give". There's considerably more to it than that, however, if you read some of the references below. They mention themes of "falling from Grace" and "subversion of justice" and how they relate to other tales, but what interests me the most is how this tale relates to prior text.

As I read the "Steward's Tale", I recognized its resemblance to the one and only Decamron tale I happened to have read. I had heard the Canterbury Tales were derived from the Decameron, but this was the first time I noticed it for myself. That was quite a moment.

Boccaccio's IX.6 of the Decameron, which preceded The Canterbury Tales by about 1/2 a century, has an identical plot but is mainly a sex comedy. Chaucer borrowed the plot and added literary elements that ingeniously tie in with the rest of the tales.

What's even more interesting is that Boccaccio, too, borrowed his plot. His version is based on "Gombert et les deus clers" ("Gombert and the two clerks"), a French fabliau (medieval sex comedy) by Jean Bodel 1165-1210--more than a hundred years earlier! Fabliaux were apparently quite popular throughout the Middle Ages.

And what's astounding to me, as an American who thinks "historical" means "Victorian", is how raunchy these old stories are. How did they ever survive the Victorian days, as literature no less?


References:
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales. ca. 1390. Trans. Burton Raffel. Modern Library. 2008.
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems. ca. 1390. Ed. D. Lang Purves. Kindle Edition. Donal O'Danachair.
Giovanni Boccaccio. The Decameron. 1353. Trans. G. H. McWilliam. Penguin Classics. 1972, 1995.
Giovanni Boccaccio. The Decameron. 1353. Trans. John Payne. 1886. Kindle Edition. Walter J. Black, Inc. 2009.
GradeSaver. "The Canterbury Tales Study Guide & Literature Essays". GradeSaver. 1999-2011. web 2011.
Jean Bodel. "Gombert and the Two Clerks". 1190-1194. Ed. Larry Benson, Theodore Andersson. The Literary Context of Chaucer's Fabliaux. 1971. web 2011.
Thomas C. Foster. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Harper. 2003.
"Pedagogy". Decameron Web. Brown Univ. 1994-2010. web 2011.
"Fabliau". Wikipedia. web 2011.
"Jean Bodel". Wikipedia. web 2011.

The Miller's Tale by Chaucer (ca. 1390)

At first it was difficult to find a message in "The Miller's Tale" because it's hidden within a silly, dirty story. The prologue, however, tells us to take it seriously--precisely by telling us not to:

So be on notice, and don't give me the blame.
No one should be too serious, playing a game.

Then the "Steward's Prologue" [Reeve's Prologue], which immediately follows, says everyone laughed at the miller's story, but some people saw it one way and others saw it another way, which is proof of a hidden message--some people got it but others didn't.

Mark Twain put a similar notice in the front of Huckleberry Finn:

Persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted;
persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished;
persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.

I believe disclaimers like these were meant to relieve their authors of responsibility for offenses they might make. That way they could share risky ideas with open-minded readers, but to ones who claimed offense, they would say, "Oh it was just a joke! See? Look at the label!"

On the surface, the "Miller's Tale" is obviously a dirty story meant to contrast with the "Knight's Tale". The miller makes many low class references to sex, animals, and lust in contrast to the knight's noble references to honor, chivalry, and love. So I guess it's an example of how the other (lower) half lives, but maybe the dirtiness was also a tactic to obscure a hidden message.

"The Miller's Tale" presents a good example of how easily ignorant people can be deceived and manipulated, especially through the use of education and religion. The religious and hardworking carpenter believed everything the scholar told him. No matter how farfetched it got, it never occurred to him it might be a trick! This kind of scam was apparently old in Chaucer's day and it continues today. (How many televangelist scandals have we seen? How many people are still willing to go to war for religion--and who ultimately benefits when they do?)

A quick search of the Internet returns tons of analysis on the "Miller's Tale". I'll comment on one item I found: Some critics consider the carpenter's arrangement of the hanging tubs as a symbol of God's genitals! To me this is a bizarre stretch of the imagination. Why would anyone think that? They believe "Godde's privity" means his "private parts", as if the idiom meant the same then as it does nowadays, which is quite possible, but it's out of context anyway. In context it is, "I will not telle Godde's privity", where it clearly means God's secrets.

However, the scholar is not specific when he tells the carpenter to get 3 tubs, but after he does, he has one long one and two round ones, which lends credence to the symbol. It still seems a stretch though, but the argument has its points and Foster does say if something looks like a symbol, it probably is.

If Chaucer did that intentionally, all I can imagine is he needed something really obscene and distracting that common people would snicker over and private parts was the best he could think of.

So what's the real point of the "Miller's Tale"? I think he was satirizing how man abuses religion to exploit the gullible. Given the era, one would think it was almost blasphemy, and not just the private parts. There are plenty of negative references to religion and education, too, but it was all under the cover another story. The problem is not religion per se. The problem is man's abuse of religion for personal gain.

It's remarkable that Chaucer was never prosecuted for heresy, but Galileo was actually convicted of it 200 years later for announcing scientific discoveries! Maybe Chaucer was saved since the printing press wasn't available to widely distribute his work in his time, or maybe Galileo was prosecuted because it never occurred to him to obscure his announcements inside jokes.

By the way, Chaucer needing something really obscene reminds me of a Johnny Cash interview I heard. He needed something really despicable for "Folsom Prison Blues" (1955), and shooting a man "just to watch him die" was the worst thing he could think of.

References:
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales. ca. 1390. Trans. Burton Raffel. Modern Library. 2008.
Geoffrey Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales, and Other Poems [Kindle Edition]. ca. 1390. Ed. D. Lang Purves.
GradeSaver. "The Canterbury Tales Study Guide & Literature Essays". GradeSaver. 1999-2011.
Thomas C. Foster. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Harper. 2003.

The Lost Decade by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1939)

I first read "The Lost Decade" several years ago and was reminded of it recently when I read "Babylon Revisited". Both stories are looking back on a prior decade where something major was lost in someone's life. In "Babylon Revisited", Charlie Wales lost his family in the heyday of the Roaring Twenties. In the "Lost Decade", Louis Trimble lost a whole decade to alcoholism. Now things are looking up for both men, but while they have both recovered physically, they'll never recover fully from their emotional losses.

I can personally relate to both of these stories in another way. As a middle-class 50-something parent who spent the last decade trying to provide for the family and make sure ends met, I suddenly realize, "Wow! My kids grew up! When did that happen?" I should have paid more attention.

For intertextuality, Harry Chapin's 1974 hit "Cat's in the Cradle" is the same story. While much of Fitzgerald's writing is autobiographical, this story has got to be as old as humanity. Except for fading memories of verses from old poems, I can't immediately think of any other prior text examples.


References:
"Babylon Revisited, by F. Scot Fitzgerald (1931). Ted Bogart. web 2011.
"The Lost Decade". Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Steve Thomas. eBooks@Adelaide. 2009. web 2011.
"Babylon Revisited". Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Steve Thomas. eBooks@Adelaide. 2009. web 2011.

Babylon Revisited by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1931)

If it weren't for the title, I wonder if Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited" (1931) would have received as much acclaim as it did. "Babylon" isn't even mentioned in the story. Without the title and what it implies, it's just a child custody drama, like something you'd see nowadays on any talk show.

With "Babylon" symbolizing living in excess, however, we realize the story is really looking back on the excess of the Roaring Twenties from the more sober days of the Great Depression. Charlie Wales lived recklessly, spent his money furiously, and thought money could buy everything. Then he suddenly lost everything: his money, his child, and his wife. He managed to regain his money, but his wife is dead and his child is in an in-law's custody. He'll never get his life back. Money can't buy everything after all.

We've all had our own little Babylon experiences: college days, a wild party, or a reckless joyride, for example. It's human nature to get caught up in exciting times, and when we do, it's easy to make mistakes and not know it. It's a wonder so many of us survive! We eventually get over most of our mistakes, but some are just too big. For those we have to live with the consequences, like Charlie Wales in "Babylon Revisited".

References:
"Babylon Revisited". Short Stories, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ed. Steve Thomas. eBooks@Adelaide. 2009. web 2011.Thomas A. Larson, M.A. "Babylon Revisited: A Long Expostulation and Explanation". 1995,1998-2000.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNote on Babylon Revisited.” SparkNotes LLC. 2007.

Daisy Miller by Henry James (1878)

In Fitzgerald's "Hotel Child" (1931) the attempted exploitation was physical--Count Borowki was trying to take Fifi's money. In Henry James' Daisy Miller (1878), however, the exploitation is psychological. The rich girl, Daisy Miller, comes from a common background and desperately wants to be accepted by society, but the ladies of society have an emotional need to feel superior and will never accept her.

By society, James means the people who inherited their wealth and have never had to work. They spend their days traveling, visiting, and gossiping.

Daisy's father, on the other hand, is a self-made tycoon and, interestingly, far wealthier than everybody else.

The story is mainly told from Frederick Winterbourne's point of view, a member of society who's attracted to Daisy for mainly two reasons: she's really pretty and she's fun to be with.

Daisy is very noticeable. She has nice clothes and good looks. She's open, free-spirited, and has lots of gentlemen friends. All along we're not sure how innocent she is until the end. The ladies make it a point to observe her, spread rumors, and actively detest her. Winterbourne hears all the rumors and is torn between his desire for her and his need to stay in good standing with his class. He eventually chooses to stay with his class and gives up Daisy.

There are streaks of jealousy and hypocrisy here, too. The ladies are jealous that Daisy's family is actually richer than their own, and while they gossip viciously about her innocence, they have no problem with Winterbourne's affairs within their class.

Daisy Miller got a very negative reception when first introduced to the American public. Being told from Winterbourne's point of view, the reader gets the butt of all the vicious gossip. The American public took Daisy and her mother to be insults to American values and womanhood. Personally I got the same impression, too, but after further review, I see the gossip is malicious and unjust. Daisy really is a sweet, lively, and innocent girl.

Foster calls this an example of vampirism. The old ladies are psychologically exploiting the girl's liveliness, innocence, and desire to be accepted, but she is no match for their establishment and she comes to a tragic end. Winterbourne had a chance to save her but didn't. He thought about it but felt safer staying within their establishment.

The Penguin Classics edition, edited with an introduction by Geoffrey Moore and notes by Patricia Clark doesn't come out and call this vampirism, but their analysis largely corroborates with Foster's.

Something like this needs to be read more than once. Parts might get repetitive, but new elements overlooked before will be discovered in each successive reading. And it's only 70 pages.

References:
Henry James. Daisy Miller. 1878. Ed. Geoffrey Moore. Penguin Books. 1986.
Thomas C. Foster. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Harper. 2003.

The Diaries of Adam & Eve by Mark Twain

The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain is a delightful and easy read. It starts out funny and slightly satirical but ends as a touching love story.

Imagine if you found yourself suddenly existing one day in a bountiful garden, as a full grown adult, capable of organized thought, but with no past and no education. If you were to keep a diary, you might record some of the same feelings Twain supposed Adam and Eve might have felt.

According to Foster, The Bible is a major intertextual source for literature. Obvious references here, among others, include Adam and Eve, the naming of the animals, Cain and Abel.

There is also a quest of sorts, though not one involving a geographical journey. It's Adam's journey through life. At first, he doesn't know what he's doing, where he's going, or why. He can't stand Eve because she's weak and bothersome. Over time, however, he falls in love with her, raises a family, and together they begin the world we know. At the end, he has learned that he's happy with life. He has loved, accomplished things, and suffered some hardships, but over all life--and love--are good.

Note: This short story has been published in multiple forms. Originally it was just Eve's Diary, then Adam's Diary was a separate story, and then they were combined chronologically into one book, which is the one I read. There's even a version where they went to Niagara Falls!

References:
Thomas C. Foster. How to Read Literature Like a Professor. Harper. 2003.
Mark Twain. The Diaries of Adam & Eve. 1893-1905. Ed. Don Roberts. Fair Oaks Press. 1997.