A Psychoanalytic Study of Form in The Great Gatsby

Abstract

<p>This thesis proposes that a dichotomy exists in the form of The Great Gatsby and engages in a psychoanalytic approach to the novel as a parody of interwoven fairy tale and detective story forms to substantiate this proposal. With the application of Freudian theory to support the interpretations contained in this thesis, the form of The Great Gatsby emerges as both an unconscious means of wish-fulfillment on the part of the narrator-protagonist, Nick, who unwittingly divulges personal neuroses in reconstructing the titular tale, and as a defence against the anxieties stemming from the gratification of Nick's repressed desires.</p> <p>In its account of the ironies inherent in the identity, aspirations, and society of the fairy tale hero, in its exposure of the complexities of "detective" Nick's mysterious involvement with and simultaneous detachment from the tale he tells, in its recurrent focus on the Gatsby-Nick symbiosis, and in its consideration of derivative aspects of dichotomy in character and setting to aid in the illumination of ideas set forth, this thesis maintains that form is a topic of investigation essential to an understanding of the psychological dimension that underlies and complements the engrossing verbal intricacies and characterizations in The Great Gatsby.</p>