7.1.2

Love Through the Ages Reading

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Love Through the Ages Reading

The aim of this topic area is to encourage students to explore aspects of a central literary theme as seen over time, using unseen material and set texts. Areas that can usefully be explored include:

Illustrative background for Romantic love of many kindsIllustrative background for Romantic love of many kinds ?? "content

Romantic love of many kinds

  • Tom and Daisy.
  • Daisy and Gatsby.
  • Myrtle and Tom.
  • Nick and Jordan.
Illustrative background for Love and sexIllustrative background for Love and sex ?? "content

Love and sex

  • Tom and Daisy.
  • Daisy and Gatsby.
  • Myrtle and Tom.
  • Love and Sex in the context of the 1920s in general.
Illustrative background for Love and lossIllustrative background for Love and loss ?? "content

Love and loss

  • Gatsby losing Daisy the first and second time.
  • Tom losing Myrtle.
  • Tom almost losing Daisy.
  • The failure of Jordan and Nick’s relationship.
Illustrative background for Social convention taboosIllustrative background for Social convention taboos ?? "content

Social convention taboos

  • Extra-marital affairs.
  • Having ‘old money’.
  • Breaking up of family life.
  • Carrying on an affair in front of the husband.
  • The differences applied to men and women.

Love Through the Ages Reading

The aim of this topic area is to encourage students to explore aspects of a central literary theme as seen over time, using unseen material and set texts. Areas that can usefully be explored include:

Illustrative background for Love according to history and timeIllustrative background for Love according to history and time ?? "content

Love according to history and time

  • Conventions during the ‘roaring twenties’.
  • The ability of ‘old money’ to do what it wants.
  • The challenge of ‘new money’ for love.
  • The openness of the Jazz Age.
Illustrative background for Individual lives (young/maturing love)Illustrative background for Individual lives (young/maturing love) ?? "content

Individual lives (young/maturing love)

  • Gatsby and Daisy when younger.
  • Tom and Daisy when younger, but also their maturity at the end.
  • The impact of having children.
  • Nick and Jordan’s awareness of not making the wrong connection.
  • Nick’s failed attempt at love in New York.
  • The dull marriage of George and Myrtle Wilson.
Illustrative background for Jealousy and guiltIllustrative background for Jealousy and guilt ?? "content

Jealousy and guilt

  • Gatsby’s jealousy of Tom.
  • Tom’s guilt over Myrtle and Daisy.
  • Myrtle’s guilt about her affair.
  • Wilson’s jealousy of Tom and (he thinks) Gatsby.
Illustrative background for Truth and deceptionIllustrative background for Truth and deception ?? "content

Truth and deception

  • Myrtle’s deception of George Wilson.
  • Tom’s deception of Daisy.
  • Gatsby’s realisation of truth about Daisy.

Love Through the Ages Reading

The aim of this topic area is to encourage students to explore aspects of a central literary theme as seen over time, using unseen material and set texts. Areas that can usefully be explored include:

Illustrative background for MarriageIllustrative background for Marriage ?? "content

Marriage

  • Tom and Daisy’s marriage and how it survives.
  • George Wilson and Myrtle’s failed marriage.
  • Gatsby’s first and second attempts to marry Daisy.
  • Nick’s incapacity to marry.
Illustrative background for Proximity and distanceIllustrative background for Proximity and distance ?? "content

Proximity and distance

  • Tom and Daisy’s marriage and eventual closeness.
  • Gatsby’s enforced distance from Daisy.
  • George Wilson’s distance from Myrtle.
  • Nick’s eventual distance from New York City.
  • Tom and Daisy’s distance from Long Island at the end.
Illustrative background for Approval and disapprovalIllustrative background for Approval and disapproval ?? "content

Approval and disapproval

  • Social approval that Tom and Daisy’s marriage survives because of Pammy.
  • Nick’s initial disapproval and then approval of Gatsby.
  • George Wilson’s disapproval of Myrtle.
  • The general approval of love affairs in the society at the time.

Jump to other topics

1Specification Overview

1.1Specification Overview

2Context

3Plot Summary

4Character Profiles

5Key Ideas

6Writing Techniques

7Love Through the Ages - Thematic Analysis

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