The nature of the character of Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby (1925) has been the focal point of many previous endeavours, indicating him as being a self-insert of the author himself[1], a man void of both personality and agency[2], or even a narrator armed with the infallible concept of hindsight[3]. The centrality of named characters to the narrative is apparent through character names (Gatsby, Tom, and Daisy) being amongst the most common content terms of the novel. However, Nick is curiously absent in terms of being present in any interaction outside of the obviously physical one. Certainly this could have to do with his position as the narrator of the story, although his presence in the situations depicted in the novel makes this unlikely. 

Nick’s first name is only found 24 times throughout the novel and is mainly used at the Buchanans’. The surname, Carraway, appears at a frequency of 10 and is only found in more formal interactions. A stand-out moment in the naming of Nick is found at the speak-easy, when Gatsby introduces Nick to Mr. Wolfsheim using the surname. This poses the central question for the proposed paper: Since Nick is rarely called by his name, regardless of the state of his perceived interpersonal relationship to the character in question, how is he referred to by the other characters? And, how does the reference to him change in the different contexts?

The method of this paper will be based on text mining to extract the characters involved in an interaction, the place of an interaction, and the plain text of whatever dialogue is exchanged. The extracted characters will be used to create an interaction network, indicating parties to an interaction where Nick is referred to in a specific manner. References to the character will then be explored in terms of spatial placement, to see if the manner of reference changes based on where the interaction is taking place. Finally, the manner of reference will be plotted along the progression of the text in order to see if any development can be found at specific points in the novel's progression. 

References:

 [1] Kazin, Alfred, ed. (1951). F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Man and His Work (1st ed.). New York City: World Publishing Company – via Internet Archive. P. 81

[2]Fitzgerald, F. Scott (1991) [1925]. Bruccoli, Matthew J. (ed.). The Great Gatsby. The Cambridge Edition of the Works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0-521-40230-1 p. XXVIV, Introduction 

[3] Kelly, D. (1999) The Lyricism of Nick Carraway, Sydney Open Journals. Available at: https://openjournals.library.sydney.edu.au/SSE/article/view/540/511 (Accessed: 2024). 

This chapter explores how video game consumables, particularly sweets, embody nostalgia and solastalgia within Project Zomboid. The analysis identifies connections between nostalgia, food items, environmental decay, and the cultural significance of comfort foods in a post-apocalyptic setting. By building on concepts like positive food nostalgia and the role of comfort food, the article argues that sweets and similar consumables are used to evoke a solastalgic longing for a lost society. The study highlights the symbolic and functional roles of consumables in digital narratives, extending the dialogue on ecocriticism and nostalgia in the context of role-playing games.