In English courses in high school and college Fitzgerald's masterpiece is read for its theme of the failed (delusional) American Dream. Plath's novel achieves the same purpose but incorporates many other insightful themes and views (especially by having a woman as her protagonist). Do you agree with me that The Bell Jar should replace The Great Gatsby on English syllabuses?
2006-08-05 06:17:42 · 13 answers · asked by Lambert 2 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
No, they should read both. For exactly the reasons you noted. I don't see the harm in adding books to the list - that way it's inclusive and the two perspectives broaden the topic.
It would actually make it interesting for a change. Both are themed on "place" in society ...constrictions and boundaries.
Frankly I don't care who/which sex wrote a book if it's a good book. I do prefer Gatsby if it comes down to it, but you raise an interesting point.
2006-08-05 06:22:23 · answer #1 · answered by slipstreamer 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
I defiantly recommend any and all Jane Austen books, as well as Arther Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter (I'd say that's edging towards what you don't want, however, they are fantastically written.) and Edgar Allen Poe. Lord of the Rings The Hobbit To Kill A Mockingbird The Great Gatsby I read the following for my American Lit in high school, didn't enjoy them much, but if that's what you're into, great! The Scarlet Letter Billy Budd The Grapes of Wrath 1984 <-- skip pages 124-126 is you have a problem with slightly explicit scenes Red Badge of Courage The Adventures of Huck Finn I hope this helps!
2016-03-27 00:09:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Themes Of The Bell Jar
2016-10-31 23:39:59 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No, not at all, the Bell Jar may be more insightful (Fitzgerald's novels never have very important morals and plots, and Gatsby is no exception), but the writing in The Great Gatsby is so beautiful, so poetic, that it stands on a level of its own. Don't forget that poetry makes up a huge part of the English language, and should be respected in its own right, even when discovered within the midsts of a novel.
2006-08-05 10:06:38 · answer #4 · answered by lhk 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I read The Great Gatsby in 10th grade. I don't think I could have handled deep depression of The Bell Jar when I was that young, so no, I don't think it should replace Gatsby in high school. In college, I can see The Bell Jar being added, but not replacing Gatsby.
2006-08-05 16:47:04 · answer #5 · answered by Melissa F 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. These are really two different stories. Plath was suicidal when she wrote Bell Jar, and finally succeeded in killing herself. She was a blithering wreck most of the time and needed psychiatric help desperately. Fitzgerald may have been an alcoholic, but he was a truly masterful writer, and Gatsby was a masterful story. Bell Jar was a downer from beginning to end! So was Plath!
2006-08-05 06:24:10 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
There are two books I could never get: The great Gatsby and The catcher on the rye. So, has to be The bell jar. And knowing that the author committed suicide after wards make it more compelling.
2006-08-05 06:25:43 · answer #7 · answered by elgil 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely not. Neither is an appropriate substitute for the other. They are not parallel novels. I disagree that they both talk of the delusions of the great American Dream. Fitzgerald does, but Plath's works are more about the great delusions of a happy life.
2006-08-05 06:27:57 · answer #8 · answered by Teacher 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I personally prefer The Bell Jar, but The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a good one too.
2006-08-05 06:31:08 · answer #9 · answered by rainyday 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie!
2006-08-05 08:20:56 · answer #10 · answered by freethinker1973 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋