fear and loathing of gatsby

Often the work of one prolific writer will influence others throughout their lifetime and after. This is especially true of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his work The Great Gatsby, which is revered as one of the best representations of the Jazz Age and a brilliant novel. A snapshot of an era, Gatsby deals with the decline of the American Dream and critiques the values of the upper class. These themes are also evident within Hunter S. Thompson's Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a piece of 'gonzo' journalism that has been hailed as a modern literary classic. Thompson’s admiration for Fitzgerald’s work seems to have influenced his writing considerably, as many correlations can be made between the two pieces that are each hailed as classics of their time. While working, Thompson would copy out Gatsby on a typewriter to try and learn the literary style of Fitzgerald that made him such a revered author (he would also copy out Ernest Hemmingway's A Farewell to Arms). As such, he has been largely influenced by Fitzgerald's work and the themes of the novel have seemed to permeate Fear and Loathing.

Both novels concentrate largely around the decline of the American Dream. In Gatsby, the characters that aim for the stereotypical American Dream of wealth, possessions and freedom (Gatsby and Myrtle) are killed. Gatsby and Myrtle both aspire to have the material possessions and the privileges of the upper class, a dream that neither of them are able to realise. Fear and Loathing, meanwhile, is concerned primarily with an (albeit drug-hazed) search for the American Dream. This novel ends with them not having found the American Dream, just as Gatsby ends without Gatsby and Myrtle having achieved their American Dream. Coincidence? Possibly.

However, there seems to be too much correlation thematically between the two texts. And given Thompson's admiration for Fitzgerald's work, it seems too coincidental that the texts are similar. Fear and Loathing, while a revolutionary piece of work and groundbreaking in terms of publicising 'gonzo' journalism, seems to be highly influenced by Fitzgerald and another attempt, although arguably more successful than any others, at recreating Fitzgerald's iconicism.

That being said, I should also add that Fitzgerald had a lot more to work with. The 1920s did produce some rather awesome music and fashion, and I doubt you have any taste in either whilst on drugs.

All flapper, no slapper!

Not a fan of the unfinished lip, but gosh darn it, I love to be able to pull of that smoky eye!