During the writers’ strike of 2009, Joss Whedon and his team created a forty-five-minute long video entitled Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog. Decades earlier, writer Francis Scott Fitzgerald released his classic, The Great Gatsby. While it may not seem like they have anything in common at first glance, relationships in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog by Joss Whedon were heavily influenced by the novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, creating a classic “quest story” that draws the readers into the text by engaging them and inciting their sense of curiosity and adventure.
Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby and Penny of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog are both portrayed as the male character’s main goal throughout the novel and video, respectively (Kehl, 1993, p.203). While not unlikely for a Fitzgerald narrative (Štrba, n.d., p.1), this technique is an example of the classical quest story, born from Arthurian legends. According to the poet W. H. Auden, 1961, there are six main elements in a quest story: an object, the quest, the hero, tests that set a hero apart, a guardian, and the hero 's assistants. However, these elements only classify the “typical quest story” and may not apply to all such narratives. The first distinction, as mentioned previously, is a precious person or object. In these cases, it is a person: Daisy and Penny. Daisy is actually described as an “enchanted object” by Fitzgerald (Person, 1978, p. 254). But, in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, we must make a distinction between Dr. Horrible himself and Billy, his civilian identity. Billy is something of an alter ego to Dr. Horrible, as they have slightly different interests. Billy wants Penny, whereas Dr. Horrible only wants acceptance into the Evil League of Evil (ELE). While these do not always conflict, they do not always align, either. In one poignant moment we see Billy say “I’m going to ask… Oh my god!” (Whedon, 2009, 6:08-6:13) right after singing about Penny. We can assume he is going to ask her out, but the interruption comes from the announcement of a letter from the ELE. Dr. Horrible cuts Billy off and the main goal shifts. However, for the sake of the quest story, we will focus on Billy. His story is more human and therefore more relatable, and also revolves around a woman, much like in The Great Gatsby. Of course, Jay Gatsby did not have an alter ego that was a supervillain. At least, not one that came up in the novel. This person, the sought-after object, lies at the end of the second piece of a quest story- the quest itself. Gatsby had an arguably more arduous quest than Billy: “He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths-so that he could ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden” (Fitzgerald, 2004, pp. 79-80). Gatsby bought a mansion right across the …show more content…
Horrible’s wants align- Billy believes that he can win Penny by getting into the ELE, which is Dr. Horrible’s goal. In fact, in one song where he is daydreaming about her and acceptance to the League, he sings, “and Penny will see the evil in me, not a joke, not a dork, not a failure. And she may cry but her tears will dry when I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia” (Whedon, 2009, 26:06-26:24). Of course, we do not know for sure whether or not Penny would have gone with him. It is not every day someone offers a girl Australia, but it is also not every day acquaintance of hers reveals himself as a …show more content…
Their knowledge and powers aid the hero on his quest for the person. Billy’s helper is the aforementioned Moist. While Moist does not play a large role, his only power being the ability to make things moist, he always looks out for Billy and makes sure he takes care of himself (Whedon, 2009, 28:39-28:41). One can argue that Gatsby found a better helper in Nick Carraway. Nick’s relation to Daisy allows them to reunite, after Gatsby has Nick arrange a tea party (Fitzgerald, 2004, p. 79). While these powers are less literal than Moist’s, they greatly benefit Gatsby and the quest may have been impossible without his
Daisy Buchanan of The Great Gatsby and Penny of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog are both portrayed as the male character’s main goal throughout the novel and video, respectively (Kehl, 1993, p.203). While not unlikely for a Fitzgerald narrative (Štrba, n.d., p.1), this technique is an example of the classical quest story, born from Arthurian legends. According to the poet W. H. Auden, 1961, there are six main elements in a quest story: an object, the quest, the hero, tests that set a hero apart, a guardian, and the hero 's assistants. However, these elements only classify the “typical quest story” and may not apply to all such narratives. The first distinction, as mentioned previously, is a precious person or object. In these cases, it is a person: Daisy and Penny. Daisy is actually described as an “enchanted object” by Fitzgerald (Person, 1978, p. 254). But, in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, we must make a distinction between Dr. Horrible himself and Billy, his civilian identity. Billy is something of an alter ego to Dr. Horrible, as they have slightly different interests. Billy wants Penny, whereas Dr. Horrible only wants acceptance into the Evil League of Evil (ELE). While these do not always conflict, they do not always align, either. In one poignant moment we see Billy say “I’m going to ask… Oh my god!” (Whedon, 2009, 6:08-6:13) right after singing about Penny. We can assume he is going to ask her out, but the interruption comes from the announcement of a letter from the ELE. Dr. Horrible cuts Billy off and the main goal shifts. However, for the sake of the quest story, we will focus on Billy. His story is more human and therefore more relatable, and also revolves around a woman, much like in The Great Gatsby. Of course, Jay Gatsby did not have an alter ego that was a supervillain. At least, not one that came up in the novel. This person, the sought-after object, lies at the end of the second piece of a quest story- the quest itself. Gatsby had an arguably more arduous quest than Billy: “He had waited five years and bought a mansion where he dispensed starlight to casual moths-so that he could ‘come over’ some afternoon to a stranger’s garden” (Fitzgerald, 2004, pp. 79-80). Gatsby bought a mansion right across the …show more content…
Horrible’s wants align- Billy believes that he can win Penny by getting into the ELE, which is Dr. Horrible’s goal. In fact, in one song where he is daydreaming about her and acceptance to the League, he sings, “and Penny will see the evil in me, not a joke, not a dork, not a failure. And she may cry but her tears will dry when I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia” (Whedon, 2009, 26:06-26:24). Of course, we do not know for sure whether or not Penny would have gone with him. It is not every day someone offers a girl Australia, but it is also not every day acquaintance of hers reveals himself as a …show more content…
Their knowledge and powers aid the hero on his quest for the person. Billy’s helper is the aforementioned Moist. While Moist does not play a large role, his only power being the ability to make things moist, he always looks out for Billy and makes sure he takes care of himself (Whedon, 2009, 28:39-28:41). One can argue that Gatsby found a better helper in Nick Carraway. Nick’s relation to Daisy allows them to reunite, after Gatsby has Nick arrange a tea party (Fitzgerald, 2004, p. 79). While these powers are less literal than Moist’s, they greatly benefit Gatsby and the quest may have been impossible without his