I remember watching the Robert-Redford-as-Gatsby film adaptation more than 20 years ago with my mom, who is positively gaga for Redford, but I'm afraid that my mind retained only a couple of images: the car accident scene and the final scene in the swimming pool. I came to the book with a similar tabula rasa in terms of the story, but I'm not sure whether it's to my family or the literary culture of the places I've worked that I owe the fact that all of the names and places were already familiar to me by the time I picked up the book.
Now I'm sitting in the Detroit airport, moments after turning the last page of Fitzgerald's book. I'm not sure what to say about this book, other than I know I have absolutely nothing new to bring to the conversation. There are some really, really lovely turns of phrase throughout, and I suppose I see why it has become an American classic, but for me it falls mostly under the heading of Pretty Good rather than Great. I like the book for its tightness (I can think of a few writers who should take that lesson to heart), and I especially admire the way Fitzgerald allows the reader to make those mental mini-leaps during the lapses in narration instead of filling in every single blank the way modern writers need to do. But I can't help feeling that I'm missing out on a lot of subtext in this book, both cultural and historical, and it makes me wish I had read this book in an academic setting so that I might have a fuller appreciation of it.
What about you? Have you read Gatsby? What is the one thing you feel I should take away from this book? If you're an avid Fitzgerald fan, what should come next for me?
Great Gatsby coming up in a few short weeks in my American Writers II class. I'm sure there will be a lively discussion. When isn't there when a group of about 15 women get together on a Sunday afternoon? I will keep you updated.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed Tender is the Night, but it is a much messier book, not quite as "tight", as you say. I like Gatsby better. I did read Gatsby in an academic setting and got a lot more out of it than I would have reading it on my own. The degree of symbolism in the novel is amazing, but not something you consciously pick up on unless you're looking for it.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read any Fitzgerald (in fact I haven't read many great American authors at all) but I just got a set of the Vintage editions and they are beautiful so I'm sure I'll read them soon.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of Tender is the Night best.
I think what surprised me most about Gatsby is how dark the book is, under the glitzy surface. And those last lines...exquisite.
ReplyDeleteI'm currently writing a party scene for my own book, and I read on the net that Gatsby has one of the best party scenes ever written...do you agree?
ReplyDeleteI adore this book, as does my own mom. Honors to yours for such a gallant gesture.
ReplyDeleteThat green light's glamour can be a tad elusive these days, I'll warrant.
The first novel I ever taught was Gatsby, so I hold it ever close to my heart. It's one of those books that grows richer with every reading, so perhaps a return trip might be in order some day. And how gorgeous is the last page? Seriously.
p.s. Hoping your ears burned just a bit yesterday as Mira Bartok and I sang your praises on FB...
I read this in college and I'm sure I wrote a few papers on it, but I can't remember the finer points of the plot analysis.
ReplyDeleteI'm rereading it now for a readalong, and what strikes me the most is how beautifully written it is. Very flowery. I keep reading the same sentences over and over, just wallowing in the prose. It makes me wonder how Fitzgerald and Hemingway ever got along.
Wait a bit and re-read it. I think you'll be amazed at how much more you get out of it.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little disappointed you're feeling underwhelmed. Gatsby is one of my all-time favorites. Another commenter had mentioned she read it for the first time in school & that was my introduction to the book as well. I definitely feel that I took away much more than I would have if I had read it on my own at that point. All the little details pointed out in class were things I either would have interpreted differently and simply overlooked altogether.
ReplyDeleteI read it in high school and really felt like I was missing something. I wasn't all that excited to read it again, which perhaps explains why I was so pleasantly surprised when I really did enjoy it. (I actually listened to Tim Robbins read it.) I liked the language and the peak into the era, but was really struck me was some of the layers, complexity, depth. It's light and dark, happy and sad; it explores what we view as "success" and how our ideas are often more sparkling than reality. I wonder, if I sat down with the book and read it myself, would I be as enamored as I was when Tim Robbins read it to me? :)
ReplyDeleteHmmm...maybe I wasn't clear. I actually *liked* Gatsby. I was surprised, in fact, by how much I liked it because I had it in my head that I would be dreadfully bored with those characters. I definitely didn't think it was the Great American Novel. Just a Pretty Good American Novel.
ReplyDeleteTim Robbins reading Gatsby? Sign me up!
Gatsby is one of the saddest, most poignant and elegiac books I've read-can you sense my adoration? I do think you need to read Gatsby more than once to really see the gorgeousness of the book. Or maybe it's just me? The colors, the patterns of imagery and symbolism, the brilliance of the writing all affect me more with each reading. I love what you say about how Fitzgerald allows the reader to draw inferences and fill in blanks (like the ellipsis near the end of chapter 2).I love the scene where Gatsby and Daisy finally meet again-Gatsby's urgency and nervousness, his unrequited dream of love and beauty are just so touching to me. And, as another commenter observes, the last lines of the novel-their beauty slays me.
ReplyDeleteLoved all the comments above and plan to listen to Tim Robbins reading one of my all-time favorite books...should definitely warm up a couple of these Wisconsin cold nights.
ReplyDeleteWe actually had to read this for class about two years ago, but I didn't read the book and survived on SparkNotes instead. I only read this book last year, and was completely blown away by it. The language is just soooo beautiful. I highly suggest rereading it. :)
ReplyDeleteFitzgerald's writing is beautiful in Gatsby. The one thing that was brought to my mind was how jaded we are now, even though the hit and run and swimming scene were thrilling, the events don't seem as awe-shocking now.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this book yet, although it's been sitting on my shelf for awhile. Judging by you're review and some of the comments, I may have to pick it up soon.
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