This blog post is dedicated to the topic I plan to write about for Unit 3 Research Paper.

My research topic I would like to write about focuses on the influence F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel,The Great Gatsby, has had on pop culture. This relates to our course as throughout the semester we have analyzed different ways the novel has impacted our society, pop culture being one of them. The specific artist I have chosen to connect to this pop culture influence is Taylor Swift. My reasoning behind choosing this research topic stems from my love for Taylor Swift. Contrary to what this blog may seem, no, I am not a die hard “Swiftie” but I do enjoy listening to her songs as they are very detailed and well-written. Much like Fitzgerald, she includes complex thoughts and ideas that, after further analysis, have a completely different meaning than what appears on the surface. Her songs tell a story and leave the listener questioning “I wonder what her reasoning was” similar to the thoughts readers are left with after reading The Great Gatsby. To develop this topic, I plan to use my blog posts I have been writing throughout the semester as they are about Gatsby references in Taylor Swift songs. 

In my Unit 1 paper, I wrote about one of the ways The Great Gatsby has stayed relevant since its publication and I mentioned how pop culture has kept this novel alive; so I thought of writing a whole paper on this idea while tying in with one of my favorite artists. This paper will not just include the references she has made in her songs but also interpret a broader question as to why the Great Gatsby has this influence on songwriters. I plan to answer this question by using outside sources and references from other songs. One of the sources that will help in answering this question is  Robert Beuka’s Twenty-First-Century G: The Great Gatsby as Cultural Icon, as it offers great insight about Gatsby’s overall influence on culture.

So far, I have not conducted much research but I plan to start on that this week and my goal is to find more sources specific to Taylor Swift that I can use to develop my paper. My potential hypothesis will be focused on the similarities of Taylor Swift and Gatsby as characters, but also Taylor and Fitzgerald as writers. A question I think would be interesting to analyze would be “How The Great Gatsby had an influence on pop culture and is this a main reason the novel has remained relevant?” I also think it would be interesting to tie in the criticism that both artists have received and incorporate opinions from people who are not technically fans of Taylor Swift ot the novel; just to provide an alternate unbiased viewpoint to advance this paper.

My plan for moving forward is to first create my focused hypothesis that I want to write my paper around. Then I need to find a few more sources that I can tie in to make my argument and research stronger.