The Great Gatsby: The Only Authorized Edition

"The city seen from the Queensboro Bridge is always the city seen for the first time, in its first wild promise of all the mystery and the beauty in the world." -Nick Carraway I can freely admit that had I read this book five or ten years ago, I wouldn't have made it beyond page ten. I wouldn't have appreciated the art of the English language or the smoothness and brilliance of Mr. Fitzgerald's characterization and plotting. Luckily I waited until now, a year and a half into this new journey I've taken in writing fiction and appreciating the classics because this has to be one of the best books I've ever read. It is one part romance, one part mystery, and one part satire and together they are weaved with a subtlety and elegance that kept me glued to my kindle. It is the quintessential American novel, depicting all that is spectacular and dreadful about the American Dream. The mystery is first of Gatsby; who is this man who hosts these extravagant parties? How is he so wealthy? The rumors are he "killed a man" and as Mr. Fitzgerald peels back the onion I became more interested in finding out about this man and his past. The romance also involves Gatsby and, to a lesser extent, the narrator, Nick Carroway, as Gatsby rejoins with his love, the ethereal Daisy, for whom all his troubles are in an effort to obtain, while Nick meets the athletic and gorgeous (and stuck up) Jordan Baker. "Her glance left me and sought the lighted top of the steps, where "Three O'Clock in the Morning," a neat, sad little waltz of that year, was drifting out the open door. After all, in the very casualness of Gatsby's party there were romantic possibilities totally absent from her world. What was up there in the song that seemed to be calling her back inside? What would happen now in the dim, incalculable hours? Perhaps some unbelievable guest would arrive, a person infinitely rare and to be marveled at, some authentically radiant young girl who with one fresh glance at Gatsby, one moment of magical encounter, would blot out those five years of unwavering devotion." -Nick Carraway referring Daisy, his second cousin once removed. The satire, perhaps my favorite aspect of the novel; did Fitzgerald know the US was just four years away from the great crash and the great depression? "They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. . . ." -Nick Carraway My guess is, no, he didn't, but when he wrote this he could have had the crash of 1907 or any of those great bank runs of the 1800s in mind. There is always a reckoning for the party, particularly in this wonderful system called capitalism that works so well for many (but not all) and can take it all away in a flash. And isn't it interesting how it's usually the rich who create the disaster, and then leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces? (And by rich I'm talking John Paulson rich, and by disaster I'm thinking crash of 2008-type of mess). And that's how the story of Gatsby unfolds; extreme highs and lows that feel like the American system and way of life. Which leads to the final point; "The Great Gatsby," quite simply, is the embodiment of the American Dream. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms father. . . . And one fine morning-- So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." -Nick Carraway The bottom line: if you appreciate fiction at its finest give this one a shot. If you're from New York, especially the island, this one is a must. And finally, give some thought to the current state of affairs of the USA in the context of this classic; the paradox of record users of food stamps and record levels in the stock market portends a Gatsby-like ending, in my humble opinion, but who am I? Party on, America. -Raeden Zen

I have always been a reader, but I have never been terribly interested in fiction. Over the last three years I have slowly developed a taste for it. Because I am such a novice to literary analysis I am not sure how beneficial my review will be, but I will give you my thoughts on this important work. I never had to read this book in High School but I decided to read it in preparation for teaching a High School history class on the 1920's. F. Scott Fitzgerald's book is an important social commentary on his own time. For that matter there are things in this book that are applicable to the world that we live in. It is is a book that is essentially centered around morality and the woes that come to us when we throw off moral restraint and embrace hedonism. The 1920's was a fun period in many ways but it was also bloated. This was an age defined by crime, the tearing down of old social mores, and excess. F. Scott Fitzgerald has strong feelings about this issue. The characters are hard to like and yet they are hard to completely hate. The main character, Nick Carraway, is a small town boy that moves into a nice neighborhood in the city. He is relatively naive in his understanding of the world. He is attracted by the glitz and glamour of city life but soon finds that he is confronted with moral dilemmas that place him in an uncomfortable situation. His cousin Daisy is a fun-loving swinger who seeks, fun, thrills, and financial security even though she is not happy. She is silly and frivolous and likely stands to represent the spirit of the era. Her husband is an arrogant, bloated, racist, hypocrite who expects his wife to live by standards that he himself does not keep. His attraction to racist ideology reminded me that it was in the 1920's that the KKK was expanding as well as the eugenics movement in Europe. Jordan Baker, the friend of Daisy and the girlfriend of Carraway, is the quintessential carefree Flapper girl that was fun to be with but not necessarily "the marrying type." Gatsby is the center of the story. He is the wealthy neighbor of Nick. I thought that Gatsby was the hardest character to analyze. He is at certain points a likable character and yet while he is a better guy than Tom, he seems to have become caught up in the lifestyle he has made for himself. He is empty and hallow and seems to lack a strong moral compass. At times he is commendable and chivalrous. It makes you believe that underneath what was apparent was a person who had the potential to do well. Yet the way he made his money and the seedy, gritty nature of his business showed another side to Gatsby. Nick becomes a friend who feels both admiration and disgust. The most interesting character is not even a character but a pair of eyes on the billboard in downtown New York City. The T.J. Eckleburg sign is in my opinion representative of the eyes of God who sees the entire scenario and silently watches everything. The book was well-written but one of the negative aspect of the book for me was the fact that there were places where it was easy to get lost, and a few times I did become disoriented as to what was going on. The book is thick with symbolism and I found this to be both unique and cumbersome. I am sure there is so much to this book that I was not able to really explore. I was hoping that I would find a unique passage that I could have my students analyze but the book did not really offer a section that was reflective. For example: Dostoevsky in his book "Brothers Karamazov" has the great writing called the "Grand Inquisitor." This is a piece of literature that can be isolated from the book and examined as it provides great insight into the issue that Dostoevsky is attempting to address. Fitzgerald chose not to do that with this book. However, despite these small issues I am certainly interested in reading more of Fitzgerald's works as it is apparent that he has a lot to say to his generation whether they wanted to hear it or not. The Great Gatsby gives us the message that not everything that glitters is gold. The 1920's look fun and carefree but not everybody thought they were a healthy time. It is message about the emptiness that comes from opulence and indulgence and warns not only his time but every generation of the danger it brings. Wealth and power often bring corruption and while they appear enticing they offer very little. It is a warning of what happens when people throw off moral constraints to rush headlong into a life of pleasure and party. Overall, the book was well done and gave me a good look at one of the ways that people living in the 20's saw their own time. School textbooks tell a "Disney" version of history where everything is good and everyone is having fun. The Great Gatsby challenges that idea by offering another perspective of the time. I think this benefits students to enable them to see events through various sets of eyeballs. Needless to say, this is well worth the read.

Around 6 pages just fell off the book. the quality is horrible

Reviewed by Craig from The Farsley Book Club, Leeds. Well, what a fantastic book club meeting last evening. The Great Gatsby was hailed as the greatest novel ever written and F. Scott Fitzgerald quite rightly earned his place as the finest writer of his or any other generation. It was also the first book in Farsley Book Club history to score a full house 100% approval rating! What? What do you mean? Tell the​ truth, that was the truth wasn't​ it? Well, a bit like Jay Gatsby himself I was a little guilty of embracing a fantasy and attempting to manipulate the outcome in my favour. It was my choice after all. Okay, okay, let me pull the lever and flush out the lies....It wasn't exactly like that. So, let me tell it as it was old sport. Very much described as a class book and not as many thought a die hard love story full of romance. No, this is about a man who aspires to love but is so cruelly denied. The Gatsby parties were the stuff of legend but meant little to Gatsby himself who like a proud peacock wanted to demonstrate to Daisy (his former and would be future lover) the lofty position he had attained through less than honest ways. Surely Daisy would love him now? This is ultimately the problem with the characters in The Great Gatsby. They are superficial, lacking in character, depth and meaning. So long as the money poured in and the champagne never ran dry they could all forget their empty miserable lives. Oh, but the 1920s Jazz Age, the parties, I mean who wouldn't (despite the above attendees) want to be a part of the celebration? I know I would. "A Gin Ricky bartender, if you would be so kind." Alas, the party couldn't last forever and the coming crash, depression, and the increased suicides notably by those who attended such parties are in the 1930s waiting. It was Gatsby, the dreamer, weak and uncertain, fearful and lonely, the representation of new money and garage owner Wilson representing the working man who became the major victims of this work by Fitzgerald (not forgetting the unfortunate Myrtle Wilson). Both had humble beginnings and although Gatsby climbed the ladder of success it seemed to mean nothing without Daisy who he attempted to protect after Myrtle's own death. His most heroic act that led to nothing but separation from her permanently. The book does suffer a terrible anticlimax with the bloody demise of Gatsby at the hands of George Wilson who in turn then takes his own life believing Gatsby to be responsible for his wife's death. Consequently the party moved on and there were few mourners at Gatsby's funeral, as one attendee at his funeral observed, "the poor son-of-a-bitch!" Nick Carraway, Gatsby's friend became the custodian of his legacy which had to have greater meaning than just his possessions and Nick attempted to inject this meaning after Gatsby's death. I'm sure the money attached themselves to other parties seemingly getting away with drinking and dancing and forgetting poor Gatsby. They would not always get of scott free, if you'll pardon the pun. Fitzgerald himself was familiar with this club and as a noted drunk and party animal he himself would have recognised all to well the life Gatsby and his 'friends' would have led and would also recognise the empty shells with which he mingled. In the end, tragically, it killed him as well having suffered a fatal heart attack at the crazy age of 44. The famous wit Dorothy Parker quick to draw parallels between Fitz and Gatsby was heard to quip at his funeral, "The poor son-of-a- bitch." It was suggested that Fitzgerald wove into his narrative a homosexual encounter between Nick and Mr. McKee at the end of Chapter 2 and this suggestion is perhaps supported by Nick's description of Tom Buchanan (Daisy's unlikable husband), his admiration for Gatsby himself and his reluctance to press for any relations with the female sex. The evidence is there and It's very difficult to argue against. Read it for yourself If you don't agree. But, isn't that great? That Fitzgerald was prepared to weave this thread into his masterpiece demonstrates what a forward thinking writer he was. He deliberately embraced a theme that in 1925 would seem crazy and unthinkable and yet there it is. Fitz of course knew this world as he had friends of this persuasion and perhaps this nod was him acknowledging his support in a public way in a world that wasn't​ ready to accept it. I think this is a further demonstration of his greatness. Despite a few of the collective not taking easily to Fitz's style of writing and the emptiness/shallowness of the characters the book was well received. Many prepared to read it again. So, we can add The Great Gatsby by The Great F. Scott Fitzgerald to the Farsley Book Club Portfolio with an amazing approval rating of 72.9%. Rest in Peace Jay Gatsby and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

言わずと知れた1920年代を描いた米文学の古典。 アメリカの教育現場ではHarper Leeの"To Kill a Mockingbird" やSalingerの "The Catcher in the Rye"を読んだ後くらいの“必読書”の位置にあり、大方のアメリカ人は読んでいる。 従って書評の対象として適切か？という疑問はあるが、このたび30余年ぶりに読み返して、前回もうひとつピンとこなかったのと比較し、今回は“これはおもしろい。一字一句を追うのもスリリング”という感じで読めたので、日本人が原書で読むという観点から印象を述べたい。 １．英語のレベル 英米の小説を色々読む比較感では、“容易な入門レベル”とは言えない。 特に最初の2ページは“？？？ うん？ 一体何を言っているのか？”という感じとなるが、その後はぐっとわかりやすくなるので最初は我慢が大切。 ２．読むに必要なbackground information 例えば“アメリカでは1920年に禁酒法が成立し、女性の参政権が認められた”という時代背景、New YorkのLong Island, Penn Central Station, Plaza Hotel, Yale Club、ChicagoのUnion Station, Lake Forestといったネームに対する土地勘等々あれば越したことはないが、アメリカ人でも限度はあろう。 今はインターネットの時代。“ここはどうしても分かりたい”と思ったら、調べられる。 ３．文章 極めて抒情的、詩的で気の利いたpassageが随処に出てきて思わず酔いしれる。 "And so with the sushine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer" ４．構成 9章構成だが、其々で明確な場面設定。 謎の多い主人公Gatsbyの人物像、生い立ち等が少しずつ浮かび上がってくるうまい仕立て。 所々に劇的な場面(GatsbyがTomに“Daisyはお前のことを愛したことはない”と言い、言い争いになる、そしてその後の自動車事故。。。）が展開。 ５．テーマ ・時代(1920年代、1929年の大恐慌の前。Vanityそのもの。バブル) ・アメリカの社会階層、地域性(NY、中西部、南部） ・男女関係(TomとDaisy、GatsbyとDaisy、語り手NickとJordan Baker。。） ・何故Gatsbyがgreatなのか？。。。 といくらでもネタはある。 素性もよく知れず、目的のためには粉骨砕身し、愛する者への想い一途、そして無理して恰好をつけるGatsbyというのはむしろ“アメリカ”そのものではないか？ 第一次世界大戦を経て、英国に代わり世界のトップに出てきた“成り上がり”アメリカを体現しているという感じがする。 ６．最後に 2012年12月頃にディカプリオ主演で何度目かの映画化がされる予定との由。 アメリカ文学の豊穣の海への一歩として一読を勧めたい。

The Great Gatsby

tres bon roman