The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922.
The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age." Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roaring" 1920s as the economy soared. At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of al... (show more)
The Great Gatsby is a novel by the American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. First published on April 10, 1925, it is set in Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922.
The novel chronicles an era that Fitzgerald himself dubbed the "Jazz Age." Following the shock and chaos of World War I, American society enjoyed unprecedented levels of prosperity during the "roaring" 1920s as the economy soared. At the same time, Prohibition, the ban on the sale and manufacture of alcohol as mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment, made millionaires out of bootleggers and led to an increase in organized crime. Although Fitzgerald, like Nick Carraway in his novel, idolized the riches and glamor of the age, he was uncomfortable with the unrestrained materialism and the lack of morality that went with it. (show less)
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No surprise that one of the most classic novels of American Literatrure turns out to be pretty good. I don't remember if I was supposed to read th... (show more)
No surprise that one of the most classic novels of American Literatrure turns out to be pretty good. I don't remember if I was supposed to read this in high school or not. Either way, I didn't, but I think we did see the movie in class.
I came away from this book with a much different impression than my fleeting memories of the movie from 15 years ago gave me. the real theme of the book, lost love is just too reliant upon life expirience for a high schooler to get anything out of it. This is a good example of schools trying to force something on kids that they just do not have the tools to deal with. that being said, this is a fairly short novel that is well-worth taking the time to read. The writing is very good and showcases the beauty of language, and the structure of the plot is very well-done also. (show less)
Perhaps I'm missing something huge, but I found The Great Gatsby to be a very shallow and meaningless book. I have no idea what emotions I was supp... (show more)
Perhaps I'm missing something huge, but I found The Great Gatsby to be a very shallow and meaningless book. I have no idea what emotions I was supposed to have felt while reading. The only emotion I felt was having felt sorry for Wilson after his wife died. It was hard to care at all about any of the rest of the characters, all of which were virtually emotionless except for Tom's bouts of anger. Much of what I've heard people say about the meaning of The Great Gatsby is focused on the romance between Gatsby and Daisy, but even that seemed emotionless. The romance just isn't present in the story. It merely tells and retells how Gatsby met Daisy and how Gatsby went to war, etc.
I saw no point in the quick romance between Nick and Jordan Baker. Besides the time when Jordan talks about Daisy and Gatsby's first meeting, she is an utterly pointless, and yet another emotionless character. I also saw little point in the character Wolfshiem. His presece in the story, and his account of being Gastby's employer simply made me feel even better about the death of Gatsby, who is revealed to be a bootlegger, as well as a murderer. It was impossible for me to feel sorry for Gatsby in the event of his death. Also, I've heard people say that the book says a lot about the time in which it was written. I would consider myself fairly learned about New York society in the 1920s, and I don't think The Great Gatsby is a very good representation of this point in time. There are just too few characters, too small of a scope for it to be much of a commentary on the times.
Unlike many people who read this book and love it, I actually don't think wives and husbands cheating on each other is a particularly good or acceptable thing. For this reason, I resented nearly every character, and quickly saw them as shallow and remorseless. I attempted to reverse this view, but events such as Tom punching Mabel in the nose, Gatsby not caring about how he ran Mabel over, Daisy disappearing from the story when Gatsby dies and Gatsby telling Nick that Wolfsheim fixed the World Series reinforced my low opinion of this book. I consider The Great Gatsby pointless and have no idea why it's considered a classic. Would someone please give me some clue as to why I'm supposed to love it? (show less)
I read "Gatsby" for the first time in high school, and didn't think much of it then. Upon re-reading it, I understand why -- at age 16, I had no real experience with love and loss, with ambition and failure. I had little real past to speak of, and if this book is about anything, it's about holding on to a fleeting moment that has already crumbled to ash.
While the book's themes resonate more with me the second time around (especially during this era of lost fortune and sullied re... (show more)
I read "Gatsby" for the first time in high school, and didn't think much of it then. Upon re-reading it, I understand why -- at age 16, I had no real experience with love and loss, with ambition and failure. I had little real past to speak of, and if this book is about anything, it's about holding on to a fleeting moment that has already crumbled to ash.
While the book's themes resonate more with me the second time around (especially during this era of lost fortune and sullied reputation), I wasn't initially gripped by the story. In fact, I found the first four chapters to be dull and long-winded, with too many detours into debauchery and tedious conversation. It wasn't until Gatsby and Daisy's paths crossed that I felt the real story began, and from that point on Fitzgerald's remarkable skills at character development were in evidence. Gatsby's love affair also drew a measure of poetry into the story, which carries through to the final chapter and Nick Carraway's elegiac, beautifully written reflections.
"The Great Gatsby" will never rank one of my favorite novels -- it may be a modern tale, but its language is antiquated to the point of being distracting, and Gatsby's demise has become something of an American cliche. But I do admire the vividness of the story, its moral reckonings. I felt a heaviness in my heart reading the last page and realizing that my future, too, year by year recedes before me, that my own green beacon of hope might remain forever unattainable. (show less)
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Well i read The Great Gatsby and i'm in high school. i really did like this book comparied to all the others that we have had to read this year. it's one of thoes books where you see a character and think on thing about them and then they turn out to be different. Like daisy. you think she is sweet but they you realize all she what is money. The book also deals with love. even though i'm in High School i know Gatsby must have gone through. Yea Yea i know what you people must be thinking "... (show more)
Well i read The Great Gatsby and i'm in high school. i really did like this book comparied to all the others that we have had to read this year. it's one of thoes books where you see a character and think on thing about them and then they turn out to be different. Like daisy. you think she is sweet but they you realize all she what is money. The book also deals with love. even though i'm in High School i know Gatsby must have gone through. Yea Yea i know what you people must be thinking "this girl cant even know how he feels" well yes i do. i have learned to love. and it's not the stupid love that people think happens in high school. And it's also my luck that everything bad happens to be. so when Gatsby tries to get daisy back i know what they feels like because i have been through it too. (show less)
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Is Rhett Butler any woman's fictitious love interest?
I read "gone with the wind," a long time ago. But I have seen the movie many times. I can't get the image of Clark Gable out of my mind as he seemed to be born for that role. He has a rare charm about him, a kind of "diamond in the ruff characteristic" when you get to know him.One of those loveable scoundrels. Scarlet O'Hara takes Rhett Butler for granted and doesn't notice when she finally has him that she lost him forever. anyone care to comment?
Natalie Pardee 5 months agoMaterialism and lack of reality
This book captured these two points so beautifully. It really caused me to reflect on what the american dream really OUGHT to be.
Steve Ticker about 1 year agoInspiration, and modern times
This book was the very reason I've decided to become a writer. It's the reason Fitzgerald is my favorite author, (though I'll admit This Side of Paradise does have its errors, even reading forty pages in.)
I used to HATE my teacher for grinding this into my head. I remember staying up late, and not quite understanding the book at 3 a.m. (yes, I was lazy.)
But now... I mean, there's so much complexity to this novel. And it's all I can hope to one day write a book that's as good as Fitzgerald's.
Although, do you think an author can write like Fitzgerald in the modern era? Can he write with all the complexity? (or she?) Or is it beyond our time to pick up a dictionary mid-read?
overrrattedd
It was ok-- overall though, I think the characters were too annoying and the writing was too simple for what this book is hailed as
Anonymous User about 1 year agoThis book has been added to these lists:
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