The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Publisher: Wordsworth Editions Limited (2011)

122 pages, eBook (purchased myself for $1.86)

Book Rating: 4 Stars

Content Ratings:

Violence: Mild-Moderate-Brutal

Swearing: Clean-Light-Filthy

Sexual Content: White-Pink-Red

Summary:

With their increasing acquaintance, Nick becomes more and more fascinated and curious about his mysterious, wealthy neighbor, Jay Gatsby, who seems to throw endless parties in his mansion across the way. Only when Nick gets to know Gatsby better, does he realize the reason for all that is Gatsby, and the somber reality of the man himself.

My Thoughts:

This story was written with a harsh pessimism about the world and romantic relationships, that was a little depressing. Gatsby was in no way without fault, but I felt myself pulling for him the whole way, all the while knowing this story could not end happily. So many of the characters were so self-absorbed, it was hard to really like any of them. Daisy certainly wasn’t worth all the trouble in the end, and Gatsby’s plan to get what he wanted left something to be desired, but the superficiality of it all, no doubt, reflected his quarry. Nick, alone was appealing, but as narrator, that’s not surprising, people rarely tell a story in a way that reflects badly on themselves. There were many profound and poetic passages that I thought were beautiful, in and of themselves. Fitzgerald seems very fond of descriptions of light and references to the modern mechanized age. And, I admit, there was something appealing about the unapologetic realism of the characters, their indifference, cowardice and single-minded pursuit of self-interest, while disappointing, was also strangely fascinating.  The air of glamour and artifice around much of the story was intriguing, making you wonder what was hidden under it all. Though it seemed unlikely that even the characters themselves knew. New York City (the urban centre) seems to be portrayed as an adult playground, of sorts, while the suburbs appear more sedate and humdrum (with the exception of Gatsby’s house). The joys and burdens of abundant leisure time, seem to perpetuate the pervasive moral collapse that the characters are subject to, helped along by consumerism run rampant. Many of the characters seem given to bursts great enthusiasm that appears infectious to those around them, but it is more likely that it is appealing because they all want so desperately to be enthusiastic about something. The book also carries a pervasive disparagement of the poor, to the point of having them covered in ash so as to be nearly invisible, but retaining enough visibility to be inconvenient to the wealthy passerby. I found it interesting that Mrs. Wilson seemed to be made visible simply by her association with Tom, as though he’d removed her taint of poverty by noticing her. Upon first read, I was a bit confused about the ending, though Gatsby’s fate was clear, I was unsure what had caused it. But, a second more careful reading of the event cleared it up, though what happened is more implied and not really laid out in detail for the reader. An interesting story, to be sure, and a quick read.

Edition Notes:

This Wordsworth edition included many fine footnotes, more interesting trivia than necessary explanation in many cases, but I found them difficult to reference in the ebook version and ended up printing them out, wishing they could have popped up in a window like the definitions. It also includes a General Introduction that warns the reader to save the following Introduction until after consuming the main text, and I would have to agree for those who are approaching as a first-time reader, because it contains spoilers.

Quotes:

“Then wear the golden hat, if that will move her;

If you can bounce high, bounce for her too,

Till she cry, ‘Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover,

I must have you!’” -Thomas Parke D’Invilliers (The Great Gatsby Prefacing Quotation)

“I’m inclined to reserve all judgements, a habit that has opened up many curious natures to me and also made me the victim of not a few veteran bores. The abnormal mind is quick to detect and attach itself to this quality when it appears in a normal person, and so it came about that in college I was unjustly accused of being a politician, because I was privy to the secret griefs of wild, unknown men.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 3

“—a sense of the fundamental decencies is parcelled out unequally at birth.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 3

“Conduct may be founded on the hard rock or the wet marshes, but after a certain point I don’t care what it’s founded on.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 3

“—life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 5

“‘—I hope she’ll be a fool — that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.’” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 13

“—each time I tried to go I became entangled in some wild, strident argument which pulled me back, as if with ropes, into my chair.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 24

“‘And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.’” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 33

“—like skimming hastily through a dozen magazines.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 43

“—or for how many hours he ‘glanced into rooms’ while his house blazed gaudily on.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 53

“Americans, while willing, even eager, to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 57

“No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man can store up in his ghostly heart.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 62

“‘Can’t repeat the past?’ he cried incredulously. ‘Why of course you can!’” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 70

“There is no confusion like the confusion of a simple mind—“-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 79

“Flushed with his impassioned gibberish, he saw himself standing alone on the last barrier of civilization.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 83

“Angry, and half in love with her, and tremendously sorry, I turned away.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 113

“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 farther . . . And one fine morning — So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.” -F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby pg. 116

Movie Adaptations:

The Great Gatsby (1974)

Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern

Movie Rating: PG

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

For the most part, this movie was true to the book, with a little reorganization of the way in which conversations took place, but the dialogue and flow of events was essentially intact. Some of the characters weren’t quite how I’d imagined them, but that’s kind of how it goes when a book is made into a movie. I believe it captured the spirit of the book, as I saw it, and if I had liked the casting a bit more, where some of the characters were concerned, I would be very happy with this adaption, though the acting was a bit dated at times. Visually it was lovely, and definitely a must see for those looking to see a movie version of the book.

The Great Gatsby (2013)

Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Joel edgerton

Movie Rating: PG-13

My Rating: 4 Stars

Adaption: Verbatim-Tweaked-Veiled

Eye Candy: Plain-Pretty-Sultry

I believe this movie was true to the spirit of the book, perhaps even more so than the 1974 adaption, but there were a few more deviations in dialogue and the way in which things happened. I loved the casting for this movie, and thought most all of the people they picked fit with what I had envisioned when I read the book, with an exception perhaps for Nick (Tobey Maguire), who wasn’t bad but I preferred Sam Waterson from the 1974 version. Visually this movie was brash, spastic and breathtaking, as would be expected of any Baz Luhrmann film, but the modern music that made up the soundtrack (hip-hop, R&B) detracted from my enjoyment of the film, because it was jarring and seemed out of place with the 1920’s sets. This film is in your face most of the time, and I kind of preferred the subdued atmosphere of the 1974 adaption, but that’s just my preference.

Related Works:

Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the Invention of The Great Gatsby

by Sarah Churchwell