The great gasby and the secret history by donna tartt

Hi, I'm a student studying English Literature in my second year of A levels and hoping to study the subject at university, I'm currently working on my coursework comparing books of my choice in a 2,500 word essay. My first text is The Secret History by Donna Tartt, my all time favorite book and the second is Great Gatsby by Scott Fitz-Gerald. I am having some trouble however becasue none of my teachers have read both books (in fact no-one in the faculty has!) so confirmation that I'm heading in the right direction with my essay preperation work is non-existant. If anyone has read both of these books, any advice, ideas etc would be really helpful, its really important to me that I do well on this piece.

To start anyone off, here are my themes/ideas so far in linking the two texts together. (my main theme is dreams and in particular the American dream)

- The fatal flaw (the force of gravity that destroys the dreams of characters within both novels)
- Weather (...and how it emphasizes the fragility of characters and their hollow dreams. also representative of a state of purgation for the narrators where they have an opportunity to redeem themselves from the company they have become intertwined with.)
- Wealth and language (the rich, opulent vocabulary used by both authors as well as the male dominant narratives showing the shallow, materialistic reality of the pursuit of happiness and its deterioration into mere greed)
-Symbolism (the symbolic importance of eyes, mirrors, windows and water, all linked to clarity of vision which, particularly within the secret history is clouded - and the way they emphasize distance from the 'real world' as well as fore-shadow the destruction of personal and united dreams - broken mirror etc)

Thanks! :)

The first thing you need to do is construct some of thesis from one of these ideas, and build upon that. Your second and fourth point can be useful for supporting your arguments, but don't build an argument around them. As for your first point (and I have to admit that it has been some time since I have read Secret History so my memory of it may be a bit off), it may be difficult to construct an essay around. Gatsby is certainly susceptible to that "force of gravity that destroys [his] dreams", but I am not so sure that anyone in Secret History could provide a good comparison. Maybe Bunny? But it seems like a flimsy argument to me. However, it can certainly factor into your essay as a whole.

I think your third point is the one that I personally would build a thesis around - with a bit of tweaking to make it more specific. The pursuit of happiness muddled with greed does exist in both novels and I am sure you can tease it out.

The strongest comparison I can think of between the two novels is the narrators: both outsiders who find themselves in an opulent world - unable to escape it (until the end) and simultaneously fascinated and disgusted by it. The chaos that Richard finds himself in is far more explicit than Nick's situation, but there is a connection there.

Hope some of this helps.

I agree that one of the strongest points of comparison is the narrative style but I was wondering, do you think Richard could be better compared to Nick or to Gatsby?
I think that the fatal flaw is equally as relevant within The Secret History as one of the opening lines of the novel is “Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.” A flaw that both Richard and Gatsby share.
I also think both novels contain strong warnings against the damaging effects living in the past can have on your future, within The Secret History this theme is particularly prominent as the students study history and the past seems to permeate them so indefinitely they feel out of touch with the rest of college life unfolding around them. Tartt also references Great Gatsby when she describes Richard reading it one night in order to conquer his insomnia so I'm assuming she must have taken some influence from Fitz-Geralds classic. Your right though, I recognise that I need to just being by building upon one of the ideas, thanks!

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Originally Posted by moishere

I agree that one of the strongest points of comparison is the narrative style but I was wondering, do you think Richard could be better compared to Nick or to Gatsby?
I think that the fatal flaw is equally as relevant within The Secret History as one of the opening lines of the novel is “Does such a thing as 'the fatal flaw,' that showy dark crack running down the middle of a life, exist outside literature? I used to think it didn't. Now I think it does. And I think that mine is this: a morbid longing for the picturesque at all costs.” A flaw that both Richard and Gatsby share.

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An interesting point. I guess you will have to decide (if you go this route) who fits better. Gatsby is certainly the dream chaser, but Nick, by the way he frames his story, seems to want to fit this chaotic world into the picturesque, as can be seen by the way he initially describes Gatsby. Either way, this specific fatal flaw makes for a far more relevant point than your initial point (I had forgotten about this quote from Secret History )

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I also think both novels contain strong warnings against the damaging effects living in the past can have on your future, within The Secret History this theme is particularly prominent as the students study history and the past seems to permeate them so indefinitely they feel out of touch with the rest of college life unfolding around them. Tartt also references Great Gatsby when she describes Richard reading it one night in order to conquer his insomnia so I'm assuming she must have taken some influence from Fitz-Geralds classic. Your right though, I recognise that I need to just being by building upon one of the ideas, thanks!

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This could be used to strengthen a point, but it is not as strong a thesis.

Good luck!

two of my favorite books. The Secret History being the winner in this bout. this is three years old, but man what I wouldn't give to grab coffee (that may last 3 days) with a fellow seeker who has been ripped raw from these two books.