Tuesday, April 28, 2009

What is the literary device used by F. Scott Fitzgerald to capture the essence of Daisy through her voice?

Half a lifetime ago when I read The Great Gatsby in highschool, our English teacher told us the name of the literary technique whereby an author captures the essence of an entire character with a single attribute - for instance, Daisy with her lilting, melodic voice - the voice that was "full of money!"





I suppose it could be said that Nabokov also captured Lolita with her name in that memorable opening passage... "She was Lo, plain Lo, in the morning, standing four feet ten in one sock...[but] Dolores on the dotted line..."





I think it's a wonderful device and for several years I have struggled to remember the name of it, and have searched for it online to no avail. Can one of you fine English scholars help me remember?





Thank you!


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What is the literary device used by F. Scott Fitzgerald to capture the essence of Daisy through her voice?
I think Daisy is a paradox. She is exactly the opposite of how she sounds. Pax - C
Reply:Well, I think it might depend on what literary critic you are reading. T. S. Eliot would say Fitzgerald had found an objective correlative for Daisy in the sound of money.
Reply:I think you'd better call your old English teacher! I teach high school English, and I've never heard of any such term, although I have noted the technique you're talking about.


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