The Great Gatsby
vs.
The Treachery of Images

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THE TREACHERY OF IMAGES

• Painting by Rene Margritte
• Painted in 1929, oil on canvas
• Says in French, "This is not a pipe"

ANALYSIS?

• Creates a basic image (a pipe)
• Denies the existence of the pipe
• Makes the onlooker question the reality of images
• It looks likes a pipe (illusion), but you cannot smoke it
• Simple, yet provoking

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THE GREAT GATSBY

• Novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Written in 1925
• Main characters:
• Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan

ANALYSIS?

Jay Gatsby creates an illusion about his past; Daisy lives in illusion of material objects to keep herself happy; Gatsby creates and illusion that Daisy will love him unconditionally

COMMON THEME?

Treachery of Images: illusion of a pipe, but not a real pipe
The Great Gatsby: Illusion of love, illusion of past, illusion of material goods and happiness
The 20's: Illusion of a prosperous economy, illusion of temperance