F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
S1
Verlauf
Material
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
The Great Gatsby – a Literary Classic? –
Schüleraktivierende Erarbeitung des Romans mit Zusatzmaterial
zur Verfilmung von 2013 (S II)
Ramin Azadian und Björn Jörgeling, Berlin
er B
.P
ros
ic tu
res
© Ernst Klett Sprachen/© Foto: mauritius images/Alamy
I
I
/
B
2
©d
dp
ima
/W
ges
arn
T
H
C
I
S
N
A
R
O
V
Was macht diesen Roman zum Dauerbrenner des Englischunterrichts?
Ist The Great Gatsby ein literarischer Klassiker? Dafür sprechen zum Beispiel die aktuellen Themen des Romans, mit denen sich 2013
auch Baz Luhrmann in seiner spektakulären
Neuverfilmung von „The Great Gatsby“ auseinandersetzte. Mit seinen universellen Themen
bewegt und fasziniert Fitzgeralds Roman bis
heute und ist seit Jahren fester Bestandteil der
Englischlehrpläne an deutschen Gymnasien.
Schwerpunkt der Einheit ist der Roman, dessen Inhalt von den Schülern mithilfe einer
didaktischen Landkarte erarbeitet wird. So
analysieren sie sowohl die Figur des Jay Gatsby als auch die gesellschaftlichen Umstände
der 1920er-Jahre in den USA. Die aktuelle Verfilmung bietet die Möglichkeit des Vergleichs
mit der Romanvorlage. Am Ende der Reihe
wird die Ausgangsfrage beantwortet, ob „The
Great Gatsby“ ein literarischer Klassiker ist.
Klassenstufe: 11/12 (G8); 12/13 (G9)
Dauer: ca. 15 Unterrichtsstunden
(+ 5 Stunden zum Film)
Bereich: Roman, Film, The Individual and
Society, American Dream, The Roaring
Twenties
Kompetenzen:
1. Lesekompetenz: selbstständiges Lesen
eines komplexeren literarischen Texts;
2. Schreibkompetenz: Analysieren von
Texten; 3. Medienkompetenz: Auseinandersetzen mit fiktionalen und nicht-fiktionalen
Texten und audiovisuellen Medien
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
Verlauf
Material
S1
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
Materialübersicht
1. Stunde:
Talking about literature – what makes a classic?
M1
(Ab)
Defining a literary classic
M2
(Ab)
Quotes on classic literature
M3
(Ab)
The Great Gatsby concept map – overview of results
2./3. Stunde:
Introducing The Great Gatsby – extracts from the novel
M4
(Bd)
Warming up – The Roaring Twenties
M5
(Ab, Tx)
Reading extracts from the The Great Gatsby
M6
(Ab, Ha)
Comprehension tasks on Chapters 1 and 2
CD 11
(Ab)
Presentations on The Great Gatsby
CD 11
(Ab)
How to give a presentation
CD 11
(Ab)
Useful phrases for presentations
T
H
C
4./5. Stunde:
Gathering background information on The Great Gatsby
M7
(Ab, Tx)
Background information on The Great Gatsby
M8
(Ab, Ha)
Comprehension tasks on Chapters 3 and 4
I
S
N
A
R
O
6./7. Stunde:
The Great Gatsby – what have you learnt so far?
M9
(Ab)
The Great Gatsby – check your knowledge
(Ab)
The Great Gatsby – connecting topics and text
M 10
V
8. Stunde:
Moral integrity in The Great Gatsby
M 11
The Great Gatsby – who is a moral character?
(Ab)
9./10. Stunde:
Analysing Jay Gatsby
M 12
Who is Jay Gatsby? – A character puzzle
(Ab)
11. Stunde:
Perspective and point of view in The Great Gatsby
M 13
(Ab)
Who is telling the story? – Perspective and point of view in
The Great Gatsby
CD 11
(Ab)
Analysis of literary texts – point of view
12./13. Stunde: Gatsby’s funeral – reactions to his death
M 14
(Ab)
II/B2
Gatsby’s funeral – a last goodbye
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
II/B2
Verlauf
Material
S2
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
14. Stunde:
The Great Gatsby – a case study on the American Dream?
M 15
The American Dream in The Great Gatsby
(Tb)
15. Stunde:
The Great Gatsby – a literary classic?
M 16
(Ab)
The Great Gatsby is (not) a classic because …
CD 11
(Ab)
How did you like the unit? – Giving feedback
16. Stunde:
The Great Gatsby – the first scenes of the film version from
2013
M 17
(Ab)
The first scene of a film version – create your own storyboard!
CD 11
(Ab)
Sample of a storyboard
T
H
C
17.–20. Stunde: Differences between the novel and the film adaptation
M 18
CD 11
(Ab)
Comparing the novel and film adaptation
Mediothek

I
S
N
 Für den Einsatz dieser Materialien wird ein DVD-Player benötigt.
A
R
O
Zusatzmaterial auf CD 11
V
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
Reihe 16
The Great Gatsby concept map – overview of results
This worksheet helps you to keep track of all the important results of the lessons.
Verlauf
Material
S5
ANS
LEK
Gatsby‘s funeral
3 definitions
Assumptions on what
the characters are like
Similarities
between the
definitions
Kontext
Mediothek
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
ICH
The Roaring Twenties
Questions on the novel
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
VOR
M3
II/B2
T
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
Verlauf
Material
S 12
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
Text A: The Roaring Twenties
II/B2
5
10
15
20
25
The Roaring Twenties, also called the Jazz Age,
was the beginning of the modern USA. Following
World War I, most US-Americans felt a greater
freedom in many aspects of life, such as arts,
customs, politics and literature. In that period
the USA also experienced a massive economic
boom. The Great War had not affected America
directly. The reasons for the economic boom were
an increased consumer demand and technological
progress. Advertising in newspapers, on the radio
and on billboards fuelled the desire to purchase.
Moreover, the stock exchange thrived as companies
sold shares in order to expand.
© Bettmann/Corbis
Social change after World War I
Flappers dancing the Charleston
T
H
C
The economic boom did not leave society unaffected as this period was accompanied by social
change. Particularly in big cities young middle-class women, having bobbed hair, wearing short
skirts and makeup, smoking, and having liberated sexual attitudes, became known as flappers. It
was not only the women who enjoyed more social freedom but also their male counterparts, who
were known as sheiks. They would slick back their hair and wore fashionable camel-hair jackets,
loose flannel pants, and long raccoon coats. Especially young Americans used fashion to say
something about who they were and what social group they belonged to.
I
S
N
This liberating aspect of the twenties was also mirrored in the new music style. At excessive and
vibrant parties people would dance the newly created fad, the Charleston, to jazz music, which
some critics contemptuously called ‘the devil’s music’. This criticism had racial undercurrents
since the music itself was derived from African Americans and went seemingly against white
conventions. Due to the affordability of radio, among many other consumer goods, this initially
socially unacceptable music genre slowly turned into a form of entertainment in many living
rooms.
A
R
O
V
Prohibition
30
35
40
45
During this period of social change and liberation the fun was spoilt by the 18th Amendment
to the American Constitution, better known as Prohibition Amendment. This amendment came
into effect on January 16, 1920. As the name suggests, it restricted or completely prohibited the
manufacture, transportation, import, export, and sale of alcoholic beverages.
What were the reasons for the 18th Amendment? As USA entered World War I in 1917, people
argued that drinking alcohol was damaging society and immoral while the country’s young men
were at war. Comparable to jazz as ‘the devil’s music’, the consumption of alcohol was condemned.
Many women were advocating prohibition, believing it would protect families, women and children
from the effects of alcohol abuse. Furthermore, small-town USA expressed its support, while
many people in US cities tried to get around it. The prohibition had side effects. Doctors could
prescribe whiskey for medicinal reasons and the number of ‘patients’ rose dramatically. People
started home brewing since limited amounts of alcohol for private purposes were allowed. Malt
and hop stores mushroomed across the country. Some former breweries sold malt extract syrup
for baking and beverage purposes. Bootlegging made it possible to ‘import’ alcohol into the USA,
mainly from Canada. It was then consumed in illegal bars and clubs known as speakeasies. The
notorious Al Capone in Chicago became the king of the bootleggers, bribing judges, newspapers,
and elected government officials. All in all, prohibition was a legislative backfire. However, it was
not before 1966 that all states had fully repealed their state-level prohibition laws.
Source: www.education.com/study-help/article/beginning-modern-america-1920s/?page =3
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
Verlauf
Material
S 14
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
II/B2
5
10
15
20
25
A dream is not a promise. This may sound
dull but it is important to keep this in mind
when taking a closer look at the idea of the
American Dream. What is so American
about this dream? People believe that the idea
goes back to the founding of the USA when
in 1776 thirteen British colonies became the
United States of America. One of the founding
fathers’ objectives was to build a new nation
that was free to govern itself and prosper on
its own, in other words to escape the influence
of the Old World and to create the New World.
This freedom should also guarantee that
everyone had an equal chance to live a happy
and comfortable life from rags to riches.
© CORBIS
Text C: The American Dream
Manifest Desteny
T
H
C
The Declaration of Independence from 1776 thus contains a passage which claims that “all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.“ Not happiness itself but the pursuit
of it initially entails the idea of self-determination but also self-reliance. This goes back to the
Puritans, a group of English Protestants who wanted to cleanse the Church of England. They
believed that if you work hard to please God, you will in return be rewarded with success and
wealth. Whereas in European countries, in the Old World, it is usual for the state to support
people having difficulties, US-Americans are expected to take responsibility to a large extent for
themselves. That’s also why Germans find it hard to understand that it seems almost impossible
to introduce a functioning health insurance system in the USA because the well-being of the
individual is more important than the mutually supportive community.
I
S
N
A
R
O
V
30
35
40
45
Another key concept of the American Dream is the Manifest Destiny. It embodies the belief that
US-Americans are God’s chosen people who have the mission to expand from the East Coast to
the West Coast to reach new frontiers, pushing the border between civilisation and wilderness
further westwards. As glorious as this may sound, it also resulted in the killing and expelling of
many Native Americans.
Critics of the American Dream maintain that it has always described a failure, not a promise: or
rather, a broken promise, a dream that was constantly faltering beneath the rampant monopoly of
a dog-eat-dog society. Moreover, they claim that the political freedom that was once the backbone
of the American Dream has over time been outweighed by materialism and consumerism. In 1927,
novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald predicted in an interview, “[T]he idea that we’re the greatest people
in the world because we have the most money in the world is ridiculous. Wait until this wave of
prosperity is over! Wait ten or fifteen years!” Two years later the USA and the whole world saw the
Wall Street Crash, also known as Black Thursday, the most devastating stock market crash which
turned some people’s American Dream into a nightmare.
Today, as the American society is more strongly divided into haves and have-nots than ever before
people have become aware that the myth of the USA as the land of opportunity still persists, but it
is clearly mistaken. The Occupy Wall Street movement is gaining momentum, claiming that most
US-Americans now understand that the American Dream is only for the rich and well connected.
Even though there are these downsides, the myth of the idea has not lost its appeal. People from
all over the world still feel attracted to the land of opportunities and are longing to live their
American Dream.
Source: www.theguardian.com/books/2012/may/25/american-dream-great-gatsby
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
Verlauf
Material
S 22
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
M 11 The Great Gatsby – who is a moral character?
Moral integrity and morality are concepts of crucial importance in The Great Gatsby.
Find out which characters act more morally than others.
Tasks
II/B2
At the bottom of the page you will find the most important characters of the novel.
Re-arrange them in the target chart.
1. Individual re-arrangement: Put the character you consider most morally upright
at the centre of the target, the one least morally upright outside the fourth ring, and
the others somewhere in-between. Be sure you have at least one argument (e.g. a
quote from the text) for your decision.
2. Group work: Work in groups of four. Compare your results and agree on an
arrangement. Collect arguments for your decision.
3. Group discussion: Can you see any pattern in the distribution of the characters
in the target chart (e.g. a connection between wealth and moral integrity)? Be
prepared to present your results to the class.
T
H
C
4. Work on your own and formulate a subtitle for the novel which reflects your results.
I
S
N
A
R
O
V
Meyer Wolfshiem
Nick Carraway
Daisy Buchanan
Tom Buchanan
Jordan Baker
George Wilson
Jay Gatsby
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
M 12
Verlauf
Material
S 24
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
Who is Jay Gatsby? – A character puzzle
Right from the beginning of the novel, Jay Gatsby is presented as a contradictory and
enigmatic character. To achieve a better understanding of the novel‘s protagonist, take a
look at the aspects which are revealed to the reader.
II/B2
Tasks:
1. Work in pairs. Use the novel and your notes to fill the pieces of the puzzle with the
information.
Gatsby‘s biography
Gatsby‘s personality
T
H
C
A
R
O
I
S
N
Gatsby
and Daisy
Gatsby‘s wealth
V
2. In groups of three compare your results. Agree on a symbol from below which represents your impression of each of the aspects of Jay Gatsby.
3. Formulate a title for each section of the puzzle (e.g. Gatsby and Daisy: Romeo and
Juliet revisited).
4. After reading Chapters 6 to 8 of the novel complete the pieces of the puzzle with the
additional information.
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014
F. Scott Fitzgeralds „The Great Gatsby” (S II)
Reihe 16
M 18
Verlauf
Material
S 35
LEK
Kontext
Mediothek
Comparing the novel and film adaptation
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald was made into a film by director Baz Luhrmann.
It came out in 2013.
Tasks
II/B2
1. Describe how the director created
the first few scenes. Do you like them
better than your own version? Explain.
2. While watching the film, take notes on
either ...
b) how the depiction of the Roaring
Twenties differs from the novel.
T
H
C
c) how the depiction of the American
Dream differs from the novel.
3. Form groups of four. Compare your
findings. Discuss: What do you think of
the differences? Do you like any of the
changes you have found? Why (not)?
What could be reasons for changing
elements of the novel? Be prepared to
present your results in class.
© ddp images/ Warner Bros. Pictures
a) how Gatsby differs from his
depiction in the novel.
I
S
N
A
R
O
Hinweise (M 18; 17.–21. Stunde)
In diesen Stunden wird die aktuelle Verfilmung von „The Great Gatsby“ des Regisseurs Baz Luhrmann gezeigt. Die Schüler nehmen einen Vergleich zwischen Roman
und Verfilmung vor. Der Film dauert 137 Minuten. Daher sollten für die Vorführung
zwei Doppelstunden eingeplant werden.
V
Als Einstieg wird die Eingangsszene gezeigt (Track 1 bis Minute 0:03:21), die Nick
Carraway im Sanatorium zeigt, in dem er sich von seiner Alkoholsucht erholt. Diese
Szene stellt einen deutlichen Kontrast zum Roman dar. Im Gespräch mit seinem Therapeuten reflektiert er seine Zeit mit Gatsby. Die Lernenden tauschen in Partnerarbeit
ihre Eindrücke zu der Szene aus und vergleichen die Einführung in die Geschichte mit
ihren eigenen Versionen (M 18, task 1). Die Eindrücke werden anschließend im Plenum geteilt.
Der Film wird der Lerngruppe im Ganzen vorgespielt. Sprachlich ist der Film gut zu
verstehen. In schwächeren Gruppen können zusätzlich die englischen Untertitel eingeblendet werden. Als while-viewing activity bearbeiten die Lernenden in Einzelarbeit
task 2. Sie machen sich arbeitsteilig Notizen zu Unterschieden in der filmischen Darstellung Gatsbys, der Roaring Twenties oder dem American Dream.
10 Minuten vor Ende der Stunde wird der Film gestoppt, sodass die Lernenden in Partnerarbeit ihre Ergebnisse vergleichen können.
Nach Abschluss der Filmvorführung in der darauffolgenden Doppelstunde finden
sich vier Schüler zusammen, die dieselbe Aufagbe bearbeitet haben. Sie vergleichen
ihre Beobachtungen und diskutieren diese (task 3). Im Plenum werden die Ergebnisse
der Lernenden zusammengetragen und besprochen. Abschließend äußern die Schüler
ihre Meinung zu der filmischen Umsetzung der Szenen, auf die sie sich zu Beginn am
meisten gefreut hatten: Evaluate the realisation of the three moments from the novel
you were especially looking forward to watching.
79 RAAbits Englisch Mai 2014