Not everyone finds books to be equal in value or importance because we all have our own tastes in writing. In the article, The Great Gatsby, lead literary critic, H.L. Mencken, criticizes and reviews one of Scott Fitzgerald’s more popular novel, The Great Gatsby. In his writing, Mencken what he dislikes and what he believes is lacking in Fitzgerald’s novel. To accomplish the feat of criticizing a well-liked book without invoking an indignant reaction, Mencken uses rhetorical strategies to convince the reader of the flaws of the novel.
Keeping in theme with the extravagance seen in The Great Gatsby, Mencken uses a similar strategy that Fitzgerald used throughout the novel. While describing the plot of the book, Mencken writes that “the garage …show more content…
Mencken compares the short length of The Great Gatsby to Fitzgerald rushing “to his death in nine short chapters,” criticizing how quick Fitzgerald drew Gatsby to his death in the novel. This effectively illustrates Fitzgerald as a desperate fool who didn’t take enough time to fully develop and write the book to completion before it was released. It is a sign of a great writer when they can bring every character, no matter how trivial, to life in the reader's mind, and to make the reader live in the world of their creation through intriguing rhetorical devices and detail. Mencken dislikes that Fitzgerald didn’t expand into more of the characters besides Gatsby, comparing the rest to “marionettes- often astonishingly lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive,” and dolls just there to fill a role. Mencken wishes the other characters lived and breathed like Gatsby’s character did; because Fitzgerald didn’t dig deeper into the majority of his characters it caused some to become unlifelike in fake in the context of the novel. The comparisons allow the reader to understand and draw connections between the flaws in Fitzgerald's writing in an easily digestible
Keeping in theme with the extravagance seen in The Great Gatsby, Mencken uses a similar strategy that Fitzgerald used throughout the novel. While describing the plot of the book, Mencken writes that “the garage …show more content…
Mencken compares the short length of The Great Gatsby to Fitzgerald rushing “to his death in nine short chapters,” criticizing how quick Fitzgerald drew Gatsby to his death in the novel. This effectively illustrates Fitzgerald as a desperate fool who didn’t take enough time to fully develop and write the book to completion before it was released. It is a sign of a great writer when they can bring every character, no matter how trivial, to life in the reader's mind, and to make the reader live in the world of their creation through intriguing rhetorical devices and detail. Mencken dislikes that Fitzgerald didn’t expand into more of the characters besides Gatsby, comparing the rest to “marionettes- often astonishingly lifelike, but nevertheless not quite alive,” and dolls just there to fill a role. Mencken wishes the other characters lived and breathed like Gatsby’s character did; because Fitzgerald didn’t dig deeper into the majority of his characters it caused some to become unlifelike in fake in the context of the novel. The comparisons allow the reader to understand and draw connections between the flaws in Fitzgerald's writing in an easily digestible