Mod A Comparative Study: “The Great Gatsby” and “Sonnets from the Portuguese” A comparative study of texts provides insight into the moral concerns of an era. Evaluate this statement considering the texts you have studied in the Comparative Study of Texts module. A society’s moral concerns reflect the values of an era, however, a comparison of individuals’ attitudes towards their society’s dominant values provides insight into the faults of a particular era. The prescribed texts, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 novella, “The Great Gatsby” (TGG), which warns us of the dangers of superficial relationships and Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s (EBB) 1845-46 suite, “Sonnets from the Portuguese” (SP), which delivers a personal reflection on the frailty of love, allow a comparison which elicits a deeper understanding of the moral concerns of their respective eras. The composers convey these notions through the dynamics of relationships and differing perceptions of mortality, which rely upon societal influences and the ethos of an era. Ultimately, both composers critique the dominant values to reveal through comparison, the lack of fundamental values within these societies. Relational dynamics strongly reflect the moral concerns of an era to reveal dominant values, and consequently, highlight specific faults within a society. The era following WW1, marked the beginning of “an alarming decline in moral climate” (People v. Fritch, 1963), as the unrealistic “American Dream” emptied the pockets