People often incorporate the word tragedy with a single unfortunate occurrence, such as the events of September 11. Although there is no doubt that the loss of several thousand innocent lives is appalling, the literary world has formulated it own definition as to what tragedy really means. In prose fiction, a tragic plot contains many aspects other than just one sad occurrence. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one example of an archetypical tragic plot that contains many of the characteristics of a literary tragedy.
<Tab/>To follow an archetypical tragic plot, a…
