You have read a pretty impressive collection of great works of
literature during your time at school. You have the background to
channel your knowledge and your eye for quality into a book review
of The Great Gatsby.
Heres the Thought Process
A few things you MIGHT consider
You shouldnt attempt to answer all of these questions, instead
consider how a few of these questions might support the stance or
judgement you have of the book. Your book review should be 1 to 2
pages. Be sure to include rough notes and evidence of editing.
Reviewing Books
Take a critical stance on The Great Gatsby. Judge its value as a
piece of literature.
What qualities help Fitzgeralds work succeed? And/or what
qualities are missing that you would expect to see in a great
work?
Technique and Structure
From what point of view is the work written? How does this
influence the effect of the book?
What is the author's style? How do you know? How does the
authors style and organization (technique and structure) develop
the ideas presented by the book?
What are the most prominent techniques? How do these relate to
what you expected of this book?
Paratext is a term for all added written material included in a
book that does not count as primary narrative. It also includes the
visual elements of the book that appeal to the reader.
Titling, Back Matter and Additions Why are these included? How
do they relate to or support the story?
Design: Cover, Font and Layout How is this edition of the book
designed? What impression is the book designer trying to create?
You may want to compare this design to other editions
Critical Stance
Archetypal What character archetypes exist within the novel and
how do they function? What connections can you draw between the
novel and other works?
Feminist What is the portrayal of women in the novel?
Marxist What is the class structure and how does it function
within the novel?
New Historicism How accurate is the information in the book
compared to the 1920s?
Psychoanalytic What evidence of Fitzgeralds personal struggles
do we see in the novel?
The Great Gatsby Book Review Name:
_____________________________________________________________ Level
4 Level 3 Level 2 Level 1 Knowledge and Understanding
Student demonstrates an excellent understanding of the text and
of the criteria chosen to denote a great work of literature,
including technique, structure, critical lenses and/or
paratext.
Student demonstrates a solid understanding of the text and of
the criteria chosen to denote a great work of literature, including
technique, structure, critical lenses and/or paratext.
Student demonstrates some understanding of the text and of the
criteria chosen to denote a great work of literature, although
there may be relevant information that is not included.
Student demonstrates limited understanding of the text and of
the criteria chosen to denote a great work of literature. Only one
criteria is discussed and there may be errors in understanding.
Thinking
Students review is critically written. It assesses the criteria
selected in a thoughtful, engaging and analytical way.
Students review is critically written. It assesses the criteria
selected in a fairly analytical way.
Students review is somewhat critically written. It tends to
summarize some of the criteria selected, rather than analyzing it
in a thoughtful way.
Student struggles to write critically. The review tends more
towards summarization than critical writing.
Application Student has arranged their ideas effectively;
structure extends the students thinking. Evidence of reflection is
shown in their editing. There is a strong connection between the
opinions presented in the review and the novel itself. The review
is specific and detailed.
Student has arranged their ideas logically their structure is
clear and easy to follow. Evidence of reflection is shown in their
editing. There is a connection between the opinions presented in
the review and the novel itself. The review is mostly specific.
Students review is arranged in a basic way. Some evidence of
reflection is shown in their editing. There is a general connection
between the opinions presented in the review and the novel itself.
Some detail is lacking.
Student has not considered the structure of their review. Their
editing does not consider structure, but does make some effective
improvements to the content of the piece. The connection between
the opinions presented in the review and the novel itself is
unclear.
Communication The student has created a highly polished piece of
work. The defining feature of the review is its ability to express
a clear judgment of the novel.
The student has created a polished piece of work. Its judgment
is easy to interpret.
The piece contains minor mistakes that sometimes interfere with
the clarity of the intended judgment.
The piece has both minor and major errors, which make the
judgment quite difficult to identify.
