2: Article excerpt, “Fitzgerald and the Jews,” 2015.

2: Article excerpt, “Fitzgerald and the Jews,” 2015.

From resource kit: Meyer Wolfsheim in "The Great Gatsby"

F. Scott Fitzgerald himself held a number of racist and anti-Semitic views that he publically expressed throughout his lifetime.

Suggested Activity: Have students silently read this excerpt from the New Yorker with F. Scott Fitzgerald’s quotes. Ask them to summarize Fitzgerald’s views as expressed in the excerpt. Then ask the following questions (either in conversation or as a writing exercise): Do you think F. Scott Fitzgerald’s views, as expressed in this excerpt, are present in The Great Gatsby? If yes, where can you find them? How much do you think an author’s views and attitudes affect the fictional texts they write? Is it possible that someone with racist views could write a text that isn’t racist?  

Source: Arthur Krystal, “Fitzgerald and the Jews,” the New Yorker, July 10, 2015, accessed online at https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/fitzgerald-and-the-jews.