Allusion-the_Great_Gatsby

Literature Midas, Morgan, and Maecenas Original Source: Midas was the mythic king infamous for turning everything he touched into gold. J.P. Morgan was an American financer and an important philanthropist. Maecenas was a Roman patron and politician. All of these characters undoubtedly are very familiar with money, financing and luxurious fixations. Source Citation: Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby. Wordsworth Edition Limited 1993. (Notes section located in the back of the book) Quote from Secondary Source: “I bought a dozen volumes on banking and credit investment securities, and they stood on my shelf in red and gold like new money from the mint, and promising to unfold the shining secrets that only Midas and Morgan and Maecenas knew.” Source Citation: Fitzgerald, F.Scott. The Great Gatsby. Wordsworth Edition Limited 1993. Effect/Insight: The allusion used in the novel The Great Gatsby was very effective because right when my eyes read it, I immediately looked over it again. The repetition of the M’s made it more meaningful. Banking and credit investments were new in the Roaring Twenties, so to add emphasis to this new credit buying fad, Fitzgerald threw in three “money makers” or people, real or fiction, to show just how special his volumes were. If one does not know who Morgan or Maecenas, you might remember Midas from the adorable little jingle from the commercials. Most people know the story of the Midas touch and how everything he touched turned to gold. Regardless of whether you know all three of them, one might stick in your head and leave you with a hint to enable you to understand how important and valuable the volumes are.