A computerized encyclopedia of information about F. Scott Fitzgerald�s classic novel, "The Great Gatsby," and the era of the 1920s, "The Gatsby Files," has recently been completed by Tom Bloom, associate professor of English at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

" �The Great Gatsby� contains the essence of America in the 1920s, a pivotal period of history," Bloom said.

Since 1988 Bloom has been writing about the people, history and culture of the period and has collected an extensive library of material. He has written or found more than 1,200 pieces of information including 152 clips from popular songs of the era, six movie clips, 575 photographs, 974 illustrations and a comprehensive collection of essays and articles. The multimedia program is linked to an electronic copy of Fitzgerald�s novel.

"The novel was written for an audience that was quite different from today�s students," Bloom said. "Student understanding was problematic because of a lack of understanding about the history of the period. What we now take for granted was beyond the imagination of the people in that period."

Originally designed as a teaching and research aid in the study of American literature, Bloom hopes to expand the work with Web links that will make it interactive and available for use on the campus network.

"I wanted to collect information about the 1920s into an easily accessible source for my students," Bloom said. This is an open-ended project, and although it is now in complete form, information will be added continuously. His research involved reading everything that the university library has on the period, sometimes checking out a stack of books three feet tall.

Bloom wanted to have the information in digital form so that researchers could select the information that is significant to them. For example, if students wanted to find out how Fitzgerald uses the word "green," they can ask the computer to search the novel and other works by the author for that one word and then note how it is used.

A computer containing the encyclopedia is now available in the university library for individual students to use as a research and background tool. Bloom�s next step is to make it available in several "high tech" classrooms in the Collins Classroom Center.

Bloom teaches a number of classes on American literature including a course on novels, one on American literature from 1900 to the present and a master�s level course featuring Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner. He did undergraduate work at Oberlin College and Wilmington College and holds bachelor�s, master�s and doctoral degrees from Ohio University.

-30-

ky/vc/Gatsby