A “rotogravure” is a printing method developed in the mid-19th century and used to print images for magazines and newspapers. Its process involves engraving an image onto the cylinder of a rotary press through which high numbers of pages can be quickly fed. The name “rotogravure” is also applied to the sections of 1920s periodicals containing these types of images. Usually printed in sepia, the rotogravure (also sometimes known as the photogravure) became quite popular in 1920s newspapers, especially for Sunday editions containing engraved photographs.
"as though the whole evening had been a trick of some sort to exact a contributary emotion from me...."See in text(Chapter I)
“Contributory” is the adjective form of the verb “to contribute,” or to play a significant role in bringing about an outcome. Nick suggests that Daisy’s expressions and language are manipulative; when he doesn’t empathize with Daisy’s cynicism, he interprets her reaction as a reinforcement of her position in a “secret society” of American aristocracy, of which Nick cannot be a member.
Ethers are organic compounds that contain an “ether group,” or an oxygen atom and two aryl or alkyl groups. The particular form Daisy refers to is diethyl ether, which became popular as an anesthesia in the second half of the 19th century and into the 20th century.
The verb “to extemporize” means to perform something, such as a speech, without practice or preparation. Nick means that Daisy is coming up with meaningless things to say in order to entertain, with “polite pleasantness,” while Tom is taking a call.
The adjective “supercilious” describes a person who behaves as if they are superior to others. Tom Buchanan’s superciliousness—later described as “paternal contempt”—along with his aggressive appearance and apparent physical power seems to represent an arrogant and potentially hostile upper class. Nick’s description of Tom suggests that he has become disgusted, or at the very least unimpressed, by Tom’s behavior at the time of his narration.
"Hôtel de Ville in Normandy..."See in text(Chapter I)
The title of “Hôtel de Ville” literally translates to “city hall” and is often associated with the city hall in Paris, France. It can also refer to a city hall in any French city. Nick’s description of Gatsby’s mansion, with its “spanking new” tower, as “a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy” suggests that its design is an attempt to emulate the wealth and splendor of the old-monied upper classes.
An epigram is a short, witty, and sometimes paradoxical or satirical statement that addresses a single idea. For example, in the line “I can resist everything except temptation,” from Oscar Wilde’s play Lady Windermere’s Fan, a character uses paradox and brevity to joke about the tension between his desire to indulge in scandalous behavior and the social pressure to control his impulses. In calling the “well-rounded man” the most limited of specialists, this epigram highlights the contrast between how deeply educated such a person is perceived to be and how shallow their exposure to topics actually is.
The “bond business” refers to buying and trading bonds, which are fixed units of corporate debt that accrue interest over time. The US enjoyed sustained economic prosperity after the conclusion of World War I in 1918 which continued through the 1920s. The booming stock market, which was concentrated in the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, offered promising opportunities to make one’s fortune by trading stocks and bonds, and so Nick abandoned the Midwest for New York City.
The Teutons were an ancient proto-Germanic tribe living in approximately the 1st and 2nd centuries BCE, whose deeds were recorded by Roman writers including Pytheas and Strabo. The Teutons migrated into the Roman Empire from southern Scandinavia in the late 2nd century BCE. In the company of the ancient Cimbri and Ambrones tribes, they successfully overcame Roman forces in Italy, Noreia, and Arausio. The war, which is known as the Cimbrian War, ended when the tribes split their forces and fell to the Roman general Gaius Marius. Nick uses the term “Teutonic” to mean “Germanic,” given Austria-Hungary’s role in starting World War I.
"as if he were related to one of those intricate machines that register earthquakes ten thousand miles away...."See in text(Chapter I)
Nick refers to a seismometer, an instrument used to measure the ground movements made by earthquakes. He uses this comparison to describe the extent of Gatsby’s “heightened sensitivity to the promises of life.” Nick’s description of Gatsby is idealistic to the point of dehumanization: Gatsby’s hope and “romantic readiness” are so profound that they remind Nick of machinelike sensitivity. Therefore, Gatsby is spared from Nick’s scorn—he is not a regular person and is exempt from Nick’s newly discovered limits of tolerance.
The noun “levity” means an unseemly lack of seriousness, usually bordering on humor. Fitzgerald creates an oxymoron in attributing a “hostile levity” to Nick. An oxymoron is a combination of two contradictory words that emphasize each other through their juxtaposition: for example, a “deafening silence.” In this context, the contradictory states of hostility and levity highlight Nick’s superficiality: beneath his posture of non-judgment, he is still judgmental. Furthermore, Nick’s performative and calculated “hostile levity” suggests that he might deserve the accusation of “being a politician.”
The verb “to feign” means to pretend. Nick presents himself as an unwilling magnet for “wild, unknown men” who want to talk about their secrets and stories. Pretending to be asleep is one of several ways that he tries to discourage these men from treating him as a confidante—though apparently to no avail. Fitzgerald perhaps opens the novel with this detail in order to alert readers that there are only certain stories worthy of Nick’s empathy and attention, despite Nick’s belief in the openness of his own mind.
When applied to a person, the adjective “rakish” describes someone who appears to lack restraint (especially relating to drinking and promiscuity) or who is otherwise unconventional or informal. However, it can also describe something that is thin and angled in a visually streamlined way, such as Catherine’s eyebrows. It seems plausible, given her appearance and behavior, that Catherine is as unrestrained as Tom and Myrtle. However, the contrast between her drawn-on brows and “the efforts of nature toward...the old alignment” shows Catherine to be as pretentious in her pose of glamor as Myrtle is in playing at hostess.
"It’s more of an Airedale...."See in text(Chapter II)
The Airedale is the largest breed of terrier dogs. Also known as Bingley Terriers or Waterside Terriers, Airedales were first bred in the River Aire valley in the West Riding of Yorkshire, England. Despite Tom’s assertion that the puppy is “no police dog,” Airedales were the first police dogs used in Great Britain and were even used as war dogs. Tom’s casual purchase of the puppy serves as a display of wealth to his companions and suggests that an element of his interest in Myrtle is her lowly status, which reinforces his own economic and social security.
"I think he’d tanked up a good deal at luncheon..."See in text(Chapter II)
Nick thinks Tom has already had a lot to drink. The choice of idiom is suggestive of violence even before Nick wonders if Tom might violently coerce him to go to New York. Besides the dehumanizing portrayal of Tom as a machine fueled by alcohol, a tank, and therefore to be “tanked up,” might be associated with the explosive potential of gasoline or the firepower of a war tank. Drunkenness, which develops into a motif as the novel progresses, has magnified Tom’s arrogance; now, he displays entitlement and a willingness to physically force people to do what he wants.
A finger bowl is a bowl of water used to clean one’s fingers after the final course of a formal meal. Nick compares the glasses of champagne to finger bowls to indicate that they are large, and to further depict the excesses of the party.
A spectroscope is an instrument usually used to create and study the full electromagnetic spectrum, as well as measure radiation intensity as a function of wavelength. In that sense, spectroscopy involves using a prism to study different types of light, such as infrared and ultraviolet light by breaking it into a range of colors—spectra. The noun “gayety” here refers to people exuberantly enjoying the party. The phrase “spectroscopic gayety” suggests that the party is colorful and diverse and that people are enjoying themselves in a number of different ways. Further, applying the esoteric, scientific word “spectroscopic” develops Nick’s character as a well-educated, perhaps condescending narrator.
"Instead of rambling this party had preserved a dignified homogeneity..."See in text(Chapter III)
“Homogeneity” means the quality of sameness, that things in a group are similar or the same. Jordan’s group (despite the undergraduate spouting his “violent innuendo”) is contrasted with “rambling” guests because they have remained together, aloof from the other partygoers. They represent “the staid nobility of the countryside,” or the highest classes of East Egg looking down on this fashionable but less refined West Egg party.
An “innuendo” is an indirect remark, usually one that suggests something disparaging or scandalous. Here, the “persistent undergraduate” is saying sexually suggestive things in front of the group and expects Jordan will eventually “yield him up her person to a greater or lesser degree”—meaning that he expects her to have sexual intercourse with him. Nick’s characterization of the innuendo as “violent” indicates that the undergraduate is being obvious as opposed to discreet about his suggestions. The word choice further hints at the violence many women still face today at the hands of entitled men.
The noun “prodigality” refers to wasteful spending. Here, the word describes the tipsy laughter of Gatsby’s guests as they listen to the orchestra. When Nick says that the party-goers “spilled” their laughter “with prodigality,” he may be suggesting that they are complicit in Gatsby’s overspending simply by taking advantage of his extravagant hospitality.
A cornet is a brass instrument that resembles a trumpet, though its tube is slightly more cone-like and its tone is less bright. Gatsby’s hiring of an orchestra to perform for his guests seems to represent the more literal aspects of his own performance—that is, his performance of opulence and status.
The French noun hors-d’oeuvre refers to a small, usually savory appetizer served before a main meal. Nick spends a lot of time describing the many types of food—most of it expensive—that Gatsby serves to his guests. Some of Gatsby’s food-related preparations seem pointless or self-indulgent, such as the butler having to squeeze 200 oranges to make fresh orange juice. The plentiful array of food at Gatsby’s parties perhaps represents not only the wasteful decadence enjoyed by upper classes in any time, but also the specific prosperity associated with American life following World War I.
A highball is a simple alcoholic mixed drink created in the mid-19th century which became very popular in the 1920s. Initially it consisted of scotch and soda water served over ice in a tall glass, but over time the name came to refer to any combination of a base liquor with a carbonated mixer. Because the waiter offers cocktails to the luncheon party without prompting and the restaurant is located in a cellar it can be surmised that Nick and Gatsby are dining in an illegal establishment.
"a somnambulatory abstraction..."See in text(Chapter IV)
The verb “somnambulate” means to walk in one’s sleep. Therefore, to perform an action in a “somnambulatory” way is to go through the motions, as opposed to being fully present and intentional. Mr. Wolfshiem cutting himself off and disconnecting from the conversation at a prompt from Gatsby implies that perhaps Gatsby didn’t want him to continue with his story in front of Nick.
A bootlegger is a person who illegally makes, sells, and distributes something, usually alcohol. That Gatsby is thought to be a bootlegger speaks to the immense money available through illegal trade in the 1920s. The Eighteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, ratified in 1919, and the 1920 Volstead Act had made it illegal for anyone in the US to “manufacture, sell, barter, transport, import, export, deliver, furnish or possess any intoxicating liquor.”
The noun “vestige” refers to a hint or trace of something that is fading away or nearly gone. Any embarrassment from the beginning of the meeting has vanished.
"The most grotesque and fantastic conceits haunted him in his bed at night..."See in text(Chapter VI)
Nick possibly intends a double meaning here: a “conceit” can refer to either exaggerated pride or an elaborate metaphor. With its use, Nick is perhaps suggesting that it is Gatsby’s “overwhelming self-absorption” that causes inner turmoil, producing overwhelming fantasies that create dissatisfaction and promote false hopes. Gatsby’s “fantastic conceits” are rooted in “ineffable gaudiness” and materialistic ambitions that seem to be products of a corrupted imagination.
"the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty...."See in text(Chapter VI)
The adjective “meretricious” describes something with an attractive appearance that lacks inner depth or integrity. With its use, Nick describes Gatsby’s persona as superficial, undermining his prior statement that Gatsby was “a son of God.” Describing Gatsby’s highest calling as “the service of a vast, vulgar, and meretricious beauty” invites the question of whether Gatsby’s God is anything more than the “American dream,” a goal lacking any inherent spiritual value. Gatsby’s belief in his own inherent greatness is therefore portrayed as flawed as opposed to admirable or ambitious; in fact, Nick implies that Gatsby’s work ethic is empty because his aims are without real merit.
A “medium,” also known as a psychic, is a person who presumes to have access to special information (whether about the past, present, or future) obtained through telepathy or clairvoyance. In the 19th century, mediums were believed to be capable of communicating with the dead, who in turn offered wisdom about the living. Jordan teases Tom about his investigation into Gatsby’s life by asking if he went to a medium, implying that the only way he could have learned anything unsavory about Gatsby would be by associating with unsavory characters himself.
"“What a low, vulgar girl!”
..."See in text(Chapter VII)
Here, “vulgar” means to be unrefined or lacking in good taste. The adjective can also refer to crude mentions of sex or bodily functions. Taken seriously, Jordan’s accusation suggests a double-standard for men and women, given how careless Tom has been about concealing his own affair. Moreover, her use of the word “low” could also imply that Daisy is lowering herself by having an affair with a man of “new money.” However, Jordan’s previous approval of Daisy and Gatsby’s affair and Daisy’s response, whether an instruction or simply a fact, contextualizes Jordan’s statement as likely being a joke. The playful exchange in what should be a high-stakes situation reveals the freedom with which the two women are willing to flout social conventions and the rules of their class—at least in front of each other.
"Holding down the receiver..."See in text(Chapter VII)
Daisy speculates that Tom is “holding down the receiver,” or pretending to have a loud conversation without being on the phone at all. It is not entirely clear why Daisy thinks Tom would do such a thing; however, she has every reason to be cynical about Tom’s phone calls.
"It’s a bona-fide deal..."See in text(Chapter VII)
“Bona fide” means genuine. In this instance, Nick is trying to state that the phone call they're listening to is actually and exactly what Tom is claiming.
The adjective “pneumatic” describes something that is filled with or operated by pressured gas or air. Gatsby’s mattress is inflatable, a type of pool toy that is still common.
The noun “holocaust” can refer to either mass slaughter or to a sacrifice in which the offering is burned completely. The word stems from the Greek holokauston, which means “burnt whole.” Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby before World War II, so he does not allude to the Holocaust that modern readers would likely think of. He compares Wilson’s and Gatsby’s deaths to a sacrifice, possibly to suggest that their tragedy is in fact a ritual that upholds the rich and powerful.
The adjective “redolent” usually means to be suggestive of something, though it can also describe something that is fragrant or aromatic. Here, Nick seems to apply a double meaning: Daisy’s “artificial,” high-class world is “redolent of orchids,” which can have a very strong fragrance, “and pleasant, cheerful snobbery.”
A “pasquinade” is a public satire targeting one person or group. The adjective “racy” in this context means suggestive or verging on indecency. Nick thought that the Buchanans’ affairs would be made public and subsequently printed for people’s entertainment. Referring to the predicted news stories as “racy pasquinade” continues his disdain for the newspapers’ insensitive coverage. On another level, it reminds readers that, despite the facts of its plot, The Great Gatsby is about more than just scandal and murder.
"provincial squeamishness..."See in text(Chapter IX)
The adjective “provincial” describes an area outside a major city and is usually associated with a lack of sophistication. Nick sarcastically portrays his outrage about Tom’s treatment of Gatsby as “provincial squeamishness” to emphasize Tom’s moral bankruptcy. The Buchanans’ class treats others as expendable resources or assets to exploit for their own ends. By labeling his feelings as “provincial,” Nick simultaneously criticizes Tom and the whole of the East.
