Gender roles and locations in Fitzgerald's 'Tender is the Night‪'‬

Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night is a fascinating novel about expatriated Americans living at the French Riviera. The plot sets the ground for many interesting topics to examine. Especially gender roles are a central topic and therefore my focus will be on the gender performativity. There will be a close look at the four of the main characters, namely Dick Diver and his wife Nicole, the actress Rosemary Hoyt and the career soldier Tommy Barban. The more, their behaviour in the different locations and the place itself will be investigated. One can claim that the various characters perform in a new way they do in another location. So the question arises, whether the gender roles are manifested or presented in the different locations. For this paper many articles have been taken in consideration. For the section of Modernism, the text of Marianne Dekoven Modernism and Gender is the base. An important text about the issues in Modernism and Paris is Gerald Kennedy's Modernism as Exile: Fitzgerald, Barnes, and the Unreal City in Imaging Paris: Exile, Writing, and American Identity. Another core text is Donald Pizer's Expatriate writing, it gives descriptions about the different settings. The last text is Non-Combatant's Shell Shock: Trauma and Gender in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night written by Tiffany Joseph, she analyses the characters from the novel. To set a ground for the analysis a basic background about the concept of modernism and gender roles will be presented. 'shifts in gender relations at the turn of the century were a key factor in the emergence of Modernism (Dekoven 174). In the time of 1880 to 1920 the art form of Modernism rose to a superior position and the first wave of feminism took place. The leading role was played by independent, educated and liberal women, which had as aim a successful life in their work rather than a domestic life. As Virginia Woolf explained in Professions for Women the intention was to kill the Angel in the House. This movement can be seen as contrast to the views and attitudes during the Victorian Age. Seminar paper aus dem Jahr 2007 im Fachbereich Amerikanistik - Literatur, Note: 2,5, Universität Basel, 6 Quellen im Literaturverzeichnis.