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The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse

Alan Bilton Orcid Logo

F. Scott Fitzgerald: 100 Years after Gatsby, Pages: 47 - 65

Swansea University Author: Alan Bilton Orcid Logo

Abstract

The chapter explores ideas of beautiful and abject bodies in F. Scott's Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', exploring the role of cosmetics, costume and class in terms of the construction of identity in the novel, especially in regard to notions of 'playing a role'. Whilst...

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Published in: F. Scott Fitzgerald: 100 Years after Gatsby
ISBN: 9791030011876
Published: Bordeaux Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux 2025
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa70711
first_indexed 2025-10-17T07:45:42Z
last_indexed 2025-12-05T18:10:16Z
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recordtype SURis
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spelling 2025-12-04T11:57:38.3756700 v2 70711 2025-10-17 The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse 6d9cb0e3122baad39e7f8e8bc70791e6 0000-0001-9010-3609 Alan Bilton Alan Bilton true false 2025-10-17 CACS The chapter explores ideas of beautiful and abject bodies in F. Scott's Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', exploring the role of cosmetics, costume and class in terms of the construction of identity in the novel, especially in regard to notions of 'playing a role'. Whilst Daisy's upper-class body is portrayed as ethereal and weightless, the working class body of Myrtle is described in terms of weight and pretense, a 'pained lady' indicative of concerns regarding class and mass culture (especially film) at the time. The chapter examines the terrifying ugliness of Myrtle's corpse in relation to the stress on beauty elsewhere, an abject horror that punctures the lyric surface of Fitzgerald's celebrated prose. Book chapter F. Scott Fitzgerald: 100 Years after Gatsby 47 65 Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux Bordeaux 9791030011876 Fitzgerald, Gatsby, Hollywood, makeup, costume, hair, cosmetics, morticians 3 10 2025 2025-10-03 COLLEGE NANME Culture and Communications School COLLEGE CODE CACS Swansea University 2025-12-04T11:57:38.3756700 2025-10-17T08:34:01.7413102 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing Alan Bilton 0000-0001-9010-3609 1
title The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
spellingShingle The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
Alan Bilton
title_short The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
title_full The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
title_fullStr The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
title_full_unstemmed The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
title_sort The Mortician's Brush: Fitzgerald, Gatsby, and the Beautiful Corpse
author_id_str_mv 6d9cb0e3122baad39e7f8e8bc70791e6
author_id_fullname_str_mv 6d9cb0e3122baad39e7f8e8bc70791e6_***_Alan Bilton
author Alan Bilton
author2 Alan Bilton
format Book chapter
container_title F. Scott Fitzgerald: 100 Years after Gatsby
container_start_page 47
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
isbn 9791030011876
publisher Presses Universitaires de Bordeaux
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Culture and Communication - English Literature, Creative Writing
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description The chapter explores ideas of beautiful and abject bodies in F. Scott's Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', exploring the role of cosmetics, costume and class in terms of the construction of identity in the novel, especially in regard to notions of 'playing a role'. Whilst Daisy's upper-class body is portrayed as ethereal and weightless, the working class body of Myrtle is described in terms of weight and pretense, a 'pained lady' indicative of concerns regarding class and mass culture (especially film) at the time. The chapter examines the terrifying ugliness of Myrtle's corpse in relation to the stress on beauty elsewhere, an abject horror that punctures the lyric surface of Fitzgerald's celebrated prose.
published_date 2025-10-03T05:26:43Z
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score 11.089572

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