Chapter 5 Challenge

In a letter to his daughter Scottie, Fitzgerald challenged her to find the allusion to John Keats’ poem “Ode to a Nightingale.” Can you find it too?? In the poem, Keats explores the conflicted nature of life. He hears the song of the nightingale and feels both joy and pain, which is rather strange. This leads him into a reverie about life, death and his role in the world. We will look at Stanza 4 PS – the phrase “tender is the night” is from this poem – and Fitz stole these lines to name another one of his novels!

Away! away! for I will fly to thee, Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards, But on the viewless wings of Poesy, Though the dull brain perplexes and retards: Already with thee! tender is the night, And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne, Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays But here there is no light, Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways. Hint: Look at the last part of Ch. 5