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"An elusive rhythm": 'The Great Gatsby' reclaims 'Troilus and Criseyde.' (influence of Chaucer's poem on F. Scott Fitzgerald's work)

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From: Studies in American Fiction
Date: 19970322
Author:Hermansson, Casie

F. Scott Fitzgerald uses Geoffrey Chaucer's 'Troilus and Criseyde' in his novel 'The Great Gatsby,' with resemblances in character, scene, and structure, as well as a number of quite similar "set scenes." These scenes include the lovers' union at the house of the intermediary during a rainstorm, and the futile visit to the departed lady's house. Criticism in this vein is growing more assured as the evidence is amassing. As Fitzgerald certainly knew Chaucer, it is appropriate to consider the novel's internal evidence.

The multitudinous intertextual resonances in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The ...

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