Research Article | | Peer-Reviewed

Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”

Received: 6 July 2024     Accepted: 30 July 2024     Published: 20 August 2024
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Abstract

This study provides an in-depth examination of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," focusing on the influential role of setting in shaping the narrative's dramatic elements. Through a nuanced analysis, the research investigates how the depiction of 1920s Paris serves as a catalyst for character motivations and actions, thereby driving the plot forward. Utilizing a combination of textual analysis and literary theory, the study seeks to elucidate the intricate interplay between setting, structure, and dialogue in Fitzgerald's narrative, aiming to uncover the underlying thematic and stylistic elements at play. The primary objective of this research is to explore the profound impact of setting on character development and narrative progression in "Babylon Revisited." By examining the portrayal of Paris as a milieu of extravagance and hedonism, the study aims to explicate how the city functions as both a backdrop and a character in its own right, influencing the behaviors and decisions of the protagonist, Charlie Wales, and other key figures within the narrative. Methodologically, this study employs a combination of qualitative textual analysis and theoretical inquiry to interrogate the relationship between setting and drama in Fitzgerald's work. Drawing upon established literary frameworks and critical perspectives, the research situates "Babylon Revisited" within its broader cultural and historical context, allowing for a nuanced examination of the novel's thematic concerns and stylistic innovations. By engaging with interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which setting functions as a driver of drama in Fitzgerald's narrative. In conclusion, this research contributes to our understanding of "Babylon Revisited" by offering a rigorous analysis of the role of setting in shaping the novel's dramatic elements. Through a meticulous examination of the text and its contextual underpinnings, the study demonstrates how Fitzgerald's adept manipulation of setting, structure, and dialogue enriches the narrative, elevating it to a timeless work of literature. Ultimately, the research underscores the enduring relevance of Fitzgerald's exploration of human behavior and emotion within the framework of a vividly rendered setting, solidifying his status as a preeminent writer of the 20th century.

Published in English Language, Literature & Culture (Volume 9, Issue 3)
DOI 10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15
Page(s) 81-90
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Setting as Catalyst, Character Motivations, Narrative Progression, Symbolic Significance, Thematic Implications, Interdisciplinary Analysis

References
[1] Assadi, Jamal. Acting, Rhetoric, and Interpretation in Selected Novels by F. Scott Fitzgerald and Saul Bellow. Peter Lang Inc., International Academic Publishers, 26 Jan. 2006.
[2] Blum, A., Everybody Was So Young: Gerald and Sara Murphy: A Lost Generation Love Story. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 2010.
[3] Bowen, Kevin, "Vietnamese Poetry: A Sense of Place." Manea: A Pacific Journal of International Writing 7 (1995): 49-50.
[4] Bruccoli, Matthew J., Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1981.
[5] Certeau, Michel de. The Practice of Everyday Life. Translated by Steven Rendall, University of California Press, 1988.
[6] Churchwell, Sarah. "Babylon Revisited: When the Money Runs Out." The Telegraph, 28 Jan. 2011,
[7] Cuddon, J. A. A Dictionary of Literary Terms. Harmondsworth, Penguin Books, 1984.
[8] Else, Gerald F. Aristotle Poetics. University of Michigan Press, 1967.
[9] Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "Babylon Revisited," The Crack-Up, edited by Edmund Wilson (Penguin: 1965): 110-134. All citations are taken from this edition and are placed in the text.
[10] Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Great Gatsby. 1950, Penguin Books, Harmondsworth, Middlesex.
[11] Fitzgerald, F. Scott, The Letters of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Edited by Andrew Turnbull. Charles Scribner's Sons, 1963.
[12] Fleming, Bruce, "Brothers under the Skin: Achebe on Heart of Darkness." College Literature 3.1 (1992): 90-99.
[13] Gallo, Rose Adrienne. F. Scott Fitzgerald. Modern Literature Monographs, Frederick Ungar Publishing, 1978, pp. 101-5.
[14] Goffman, Erving. The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life. New York: Doubleday Anchor Books, 1959.
[15] Grenberg, Bruce L. “Fitzgerald's "Figured Curtain": Personality and History in Tender is the Night” in Milton R. Stern ed., Critical Essays on F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night (Boston: Massachusetts, 1986), 211-238.
[16] Isaacs, William. Dialogue and the Art of Thinking Together. Currency, 2010.
[17] Jeremiah, Milford A., “The Use of Place in Writing and Literature.” Language Arts Journal of Michigan, Vol 16, no. 2 (2000): 23-27.
[18] Karamcheti, Indira, "Aime Cesaire's Subjective Geographies: Translating Place and the Difference it Makes." Between Languages and Cultures: Translation and Cross Cultural Texts, edited by Anuradha Dingwaney and Carol Maier, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1995.
[19] Lehan, Richard. "The Romantic Self and the Uses of Place in the Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald." The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald: New Approaches in Criticism, edited by Jackson R. Bryer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1982, pp. 3-21.
[20] Meyers, Jeffrey, Scott Fitzgerald: A Biography. HarperCollins Publishers, 1994.
[21] Mizener, Arthur. The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald. 2nd ed., Houghton-Mifflin Company, 1965. [Originally published in 1951].
[22] Montgomery, Maxine. “Rewriting the Apocalypse: The End of the World in Gloria Naylor's The Women of Brewster Place.” Literary Griot: International Journal of Black Expressive Cultural Studies, Vol. 6, no2, Fall 1994: 46-53.
[23] Obstfeld, Raymond (2002), Fiction First Aid: Instant Remedies for Novels, Stories and Scripts, Writer's Digest Books, ISBN 1-58297-117-X.
[24] Prigozi, Ruth. “Fitzgerald's Short Stories and the Depression: An Artistic Crisis.” The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald: New Approaches in Criticism, edited by Jackson R. Bryer, University of Wisconsin Press, 1982, pp. 111-26.
[25] Prigozy, Ruth, "From Griffith's Girls to Daddy's Girl: The Masks of Innocence in Tender is the Night," Twentieth Century Literature, 26, No 2 (Summer 1980): 189-221.
[26] Shakespeare, William. The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Edited by Jon Bosak, Moby Lexical Tools, 1992.
[27] "The Girl at the Grand Palais." The Economist, 22 Dec. 2012,
[28] Thomas, Bronwen. Fictional Dialogue: Speech and Conversation in the Modern and Postmodern Novel. University of Nebraska Press, 2012. JSTOR,
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  • APA Style

    Assadi, J. (2024). Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”. English Language, Literature & Culture, 9(3), 81-90. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15

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    ACS Style

    Assadi, J. Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”. Engl. Lang. Lit. Cult. 2024, 9(3), 81-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15

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    AMA Style

    Assadi J. Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”. Engl Lang Lit Cult. 2024;9(3):81-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15,
      author = {Jamal Assadi},
      title = {Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”
    },
      journal = {English Language, Literature & Culture},
      volume = {9},
      number = {3},
      pages = {81-90},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ellc.20240903.15},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ellc.20240903.15},
      abstract = {This study provides an in-depth examination of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Babylon Revisited," focusing on the influential role of setting in shaping the narrative's dramatic elements. Through a nuanced analysis, the research investigates how the depiction of 1920s Paris serves as a catalyst for character motivations and actions, thereby driving the plot forward. Utilizing a combination of textual analysis and literary theory, the study seeks to elucidate the intricate interplay between setting, structure, and dialogue in Fitzgerald's narrative, aiming to uncover the underlying thematic and stylistic elements at play. The primary objective of this research is to explore the profound impact of setting on character development and narrative progression in "Babylon Revisited." By examining the portrayal of Paris as a milieu of extravagance and hedonism, the study aims to explicate how the city functions as both a backdrop and a character in its own right, influencing the behaviors and decisions of the protagonist, Charlie Wales, and other key figures within the narrative. Methodologically, this study employs a combination of qualitative textual analysis and theoretical inquiry to interrogate the relationship between setting and drama in Fitzgerald's work. Drawing upon established literary frameworks and critical perspectives, the research situates "Babylon Revisited" within its broader cultural and historical context, allowing for a nuanced examination of the novel's thematic concerns and stylistic innovations. By engaging with interdisciplinary approaches to literary analysis, the study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which setting functions as a driver of drama in Fitzgerald's narrative. In conclusion, this research contributes to our understanding of "Babylon Revisited" by offering a rigorous analysis of the role of setting in shaping the novel's dramatic elements. Through a meticulous examination of the text and its contextual underpinnings, the study demonstrates how Fitzgerald's adept manipulation of setting, structure, and dialogue enriches the narrative, elevating it to a timeless work of literature. Ultimately, the research underscores the enduring relevance of Fitzgerald's exploration of human behavior and emotion within the framework of a vividly rendered setting, solidifying his status as a preeminent writer of the 20th century.
    },
     year = {2024}
    }
    

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  • TY  - JOUR
    T1  - Exploring Setting as a Driver of Drama in Fitzgerald’s “Babylon Revisited”
    
    AU  - Jamal Assadi
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