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The Great Gatsby | Fitzgerald's Distinctly American Style of Writing

This essay examines the beginning and ending passages of The Great Gatsby, which illustrate the way Fitzgerald creates a uniquely American expression from the basic building blocks of the English language.

One of the simplest yet most profound reasons The Great Gatsby is considered an American classic is its use of language, more particularly the emerging “American Idiom.” Writers of the 20s and beyond sought to find a way of using English that was more than simply a rehash of the great British writers, a style of writing that was distinctly American. Fitzgerald not only tapped into the “American Idiom,” influencing writers to come, but elevated the language above street slang and regional distinctions into a truly artistic form that reflects the high and low of...

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