Judging a Book by its Cover: The Art and Imagery of The Great Gatsby

Materials and Technology

Student Interactives

Printouts

Websites

Preparation

 

MATERIALS AND TECHNOLOGY

• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (also available online)
  
  
• Celestial Eyes by Francis Cugat (the cover art for the novel)
  
  
• View of Toledo by El Greco
  
  

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STUDENT INTERACTIVES

Grades   K – 8  |  Student Interactive  |  Writing & Publishing Prose

Book Cover Creator

The Book Cover Creator is designed to allow users to type and illustrate front book covers, front and back covers, and full dust jackets. Students can use the tool to create new covers for books that they read as well as to create covers for books they write individually or as a class.

 

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PRINTOUTS

• Prereading Analysis Sheet
  
  
• Postreading Analysis Sheet
  
  
• Analysis Sheet for A View of Toledo
  
  
• El Greco Passage from The Great Gatsby
  
  
• Book Cover Planning Sheets
  
  
• Book Cover Rubric
  
  

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WEBSITES

• Color Psychology Entry from Wikipedia
• “Celestial Eyes—From Metamorphosis to Masterpiece”
• Connotations and Denotations, from the University of Ottawa
• Definition of Connotation and Denotation, from Bedford/St. Martin’s
• The Great Gatsby Part I: Crash Course
  

  This video, Part 1 of 2, provides students with some help in understanding the major plot lines of The Great Gatsby.

• The Great Gatsby Part II: Crash Course
  

  This video, Part 2 of 2, provides students with some help in understanding the major plot lines of The Great Gatsby.  If you watch it on YouTube, take note of the "spoiler alert" for students.

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PREPARATION

• Students will each need a copy of The Great Gatsby to read. Additionally, you will need at least one copy of the 1996 Scribner Classics edition of the novel, with notes and preface by Matthew J. Bruccoli. The novel is also available online, so sample passages can be easily projected using an LCD Projector if desired.
  
  
• Download copies of Celestial Eyes and View of Toledo for projection or use enlarged poster copies of both.
  
  
• Make copies of the Prereading Analysis Sheet, Postreading Analysis Sheet, Analysis Sheet for A View of Toledo, Book Cover Planning Sheets, and Book Cover Rubric.
  
  
• If desired, make an overhead transparency of the El Greco Passage from The Great Gatsby.
  
  
• Read the essay "Celestial Eyes-From Metamorphosis to Masterpiece" to prepare for the discussion of the novel cover.
  
  
• Test the Book Cover Creator on your computers to familiarize yourself with the tool and ensure that you have the Flash plug-in installed. You can download the plug-in from the technical support page.

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