| This analysis establishes the foundational parameters of the Darwinian critical paradigm, a literary school of thought pioneered by Joseph Carroll; its relevance to literary criticism; and its evolution to yield adaptationist readings of literary works. Subsequent application of the critical paradigm via an adaptationist reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby indicates that while commonly held as a representation of the vibrant Jazz Age, the text itself offers broader social commentary and illustrations of the shifting moral tenets in 1920's America---moral tenets that were spuriously backed by Darwin's new science through the developing discourse of Social Darwinism. Using this adaptationist lens, The Great Gatsby presents a vivid example of vapid sexual display, rampant cheating, and unprecedented and accepted infidelity that ultimately results in the extinction of the man known as Jay Gatsby. |
