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In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple + intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic 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--" Gatsby's rise to glory and eventual fall from grace becomes a kind of cautionary tale about the American Dream.
It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem.
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Customer Reviews:
Great Book.......2007-09-29
I use this book as a college student for the course of "Critical Thinking Skill" . Easy to follow and to understand.
"Great" doesn't even begin to describe this one.......2007-09-29
This is a seriously awesome book. Quite simply, you must read it. I know you've heard it before: allow me to join in praising it.
The first thing I'd like to point out is Fitzgerald's brilliant use of symbolism. The cars, the colors, various characters' glasses... these aren't just trivial things, you know. Pay close attention to them.
Anyway, the next thing I'd like to discuss is the character of Gatsby himself. A very intriguing figure. In fact, he's a bit of an enigma to me in that I have no definite opinion on whether or not I admire him. My opinion on the other characters is clear-cut (I mostly dislike them, other than Nick - which I believe was Fitzgerald's intention, to portray the rich as shallow and irresponsible - another thing that comes off brilliantly). But Gatsby... I'm not sure on Gatsby. I have to salute him for sticking with his dream for so long, in spite of its hopelessness, but the ends of said dream would have resulted in disaster for all parties involved, and his motives would be questionable. Gatsby is charismatic, well-read, determined, and intelligent; he is also greedy, self-absorbed, and stuck in the past. In other words, very human. And that's the most intriguing part of his character: when the end comes, I am unsure whether or not I feel Gatsby deserved his fate. Something to ponder. I like books that make me think deeply, and this is one of them.
As for Fitzgerald's language, let us say he has total mastery over it. I knew he was a phenomenal writer from reading a collection of his short stories before I picked up Gatsby, but nothing could prepare me for what this book would present. Fitzgerald was a very, very talented writer, and there's a fine reason why he is widely considered one of the best. Books don't get much better.
As an attack on the fast, hard lifestyles of the wealthy (something Fitzgerald himself knew a lot about), and as a meditation on how time's passage can ruin lives, this is equally brilliant. Easily one of the best books I've ever read. Every character is fully fleshed out, even seemingly (but only seemingly!) trivial characters like Old Owl Eyes; the symbolism is perfect, the language is stunning, and the book is just the right length. I can think of no criticisms.
Fantastic.......2007-08-18
Most classics fall into one of two traps. The first: thick, tedious prose, tiny font, 800 pages of 18th, 19th century drama. The second: a theme so blatant it sits beating the reader on the head, neglecting the fact that stories still have things called a story. Most fall into one of those two situations--thick or preachy.
Not Gatsby. Oh no. Gatsby falls into neither classic trap. You can read it in a day and enjoy yourself doing it. Actually, you can read it in a few hours and enjoy yourself just as much as if you were rereading The Hobbit or Harry Potter. Then, once you've finished, you look back and see, to your wonderment, how powerful and deep The Great Gatsby really is.
And that is only part of Fitzgerald's success.
The entire work is highly precise. Every word has its reason for being there. None are wasted. The themes are embedded in precise locations so as not to jump out at the reader and consequently distract them from the story.
Speaking of the story, Fitzgerald does what many classical novelists fail to do--tell one. Fitzgerald told a story about this man, Gatsby, who invented himself. As a result, he told a story about following dreams, and ambition, and living life, and viewing life, and carelessness. But he told the story about Gatsby, and the people around him, first.
In that way, he avoided theme device, and plot devices, and made for an impeccable, enjoyable, thought-provoking read. Thus, five stars from me for the best classic I have ever read, The Great Gatsby.
I HATED IT!.......2007-08-01
AM I THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WHO HATES THIS BOOK?!?!?! I found the characters insipid, vacant and superficial, and I know that's the point Fitzgerald was trying to make, but instead of being deeply moved and inspired by the depiction of our society as shallow and meaningless like THE REST OF THE WORLD, I found myself incredibly disgusted and repulsed. I know this is the Great American Novel. I know that I'm supposed to appreciate it for its sublime beauty and honest portrayal of the Diseased Elite. But I don't.
Better with each reading.......2007-07-30
Jay Gatsby lives in a large mansion on the water in Long Island, New York, circa 1925. He hosts enormous parties each weekend attended by hundreds of people whom are uninvited and do not even know him. But that does not bother him. He is the perfect host, always making sure that his guests have everything their heart's desire. Nick Carraway lives next door and works in the City selling bonds. He is originally from the midwest but has relocated East to seek his fortune. He is befriended by Gatsby and others in elite social circles including a college friend Tom Buchannan and his wife Daisy, who is also Nick's cousin. But the world appears smaller and smaller as Nick discovers that Gatsby is in love with Daisy and that they dated once, years before, prior to her wedding to Tom. Gatsby has never gotten over Daisy and spends his every minute in an effort to win her back and prove his love.
Fitzgerald's best known novel is filled with love, hate, intrigue, and friendship. He describes the frivolity of the time as contrasted with the sadness of human lonliness and insecurity. What seems to say so little given that it is a very short book, really says quite a bit in what it does not say. Romantic relationships that are described as happy clearly illustrate the dispair and sadness that is truly being suffered by those that are not truly in love with each other. Platonic relationships that seem losely connected actually describe tight friendships that are closer than others that portend to be strong.
With each reading of this novel more of what Fitzgerald meant to convey comes through. It is the type of novel that grows with the reader. Reading it at different times in ones life will change what the reader gets out of it and enjoys. It is a timeless classic that continues to get better over time.
Book Description
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald's portrait of the Jazz Age in all its decadence and excess, is, as editor Maxwell Perkins praised it in 1924, "a wonder." It remains one of the most widely read, translated, admired, imitated and studied twentieth-century works of American fiction.
This deceptively simple work, Fitzgerald's best known, was hailed by critics as capturing the spirit of the generation. In Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald embodies some of America's strongest obsessions: wealth, power, greed, and the promise of new beginnings.
The recording includes a selection of letters written by Fitzgerald to his editor, Maxwell Perkins, his agent, Harold Ober, and friends and associates, including Willa Cather, H.L. Mencken, John Peale Bishop and Gertrude Stein.
Performed by Tim Robbins
Customer Reviews:
received damaged.......2007-07-29
received damaged and returned. amazon did not have another copy to send. the $5.00 creidit was mostly offset by my being sharged for shipping. a very unsatisfactory experience
Very poor audio rendition.......2007-06-19
I have listened to only a few tracks of this book-on-CD, and maybe I should wait for a while before posting a review, but here is what I can already say. First, while Scott Fitzgerald is clearly a great writer, he writes about characters who are so far from who I am and I care about that I wonder if I will ever really like his novels. I have read "This side of paradise" before listening to this one, and found it equally uninteresting. Almost everyone seems to be an obnoxious and spoiled character. There is way too much aristocracy, money and privilege, and I find all characters rather fake. BUT, what is worse about this CD is... Tim Robbins. He reads mostly with an annoyingly low, dreamy voice, playing all women with a terrible fake-feminine voice which really seems to come from a drag queen. I will never understand why so many men have to read women's voices as if words were spoken by a drag queen. Overall, this is a pretty bad audio book.
gatsby dvd audio.......2007-05-14
Tim Robbins does an excellent job reading this book! Well worth the purchase.
Tim Robbins Narrates "The Great Gatsby" Brilliantly.......2007-04-04
Tim Robbins does a first rate job narrating "The Great Gatsby." I am not much of fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, but for me Gatsby is by far Fitzgerald's best book. Tim Robbins makes this a powerful story.
I have two minor criticisms. First, the chapter designations are left out of the narration. Since my son and I were reading this book as a school assignment, we needed to know what chapter we were listening to. Second, the tracks on the CD were too long, generally 10 - 18 minutes. Tracks every 3 - 4 minutes are far more useful. But these are minor complaints, and I loved the book and the way it is read.
Gatsby comes alive.......2007-01-10
Tim Robbins, what talent. He became each of the characters, it was great. Enjoyed it immensely, drove beyond my destination to finish listening. Haha, never occurred to me that we have a stereo at home!!!! The last disc with F. Scott's letters was amazing, really cool.
Average customer rating:
- dreams
- Falls Flat
- the best i read
- Gatsby will hit you when you are least expecting
- 3 and a half stars actually
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The Great Gatsby (Penguin Critical Studies Guide)
Kathleen Parkinson
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ASIN: 0140771972 |
Book Description
Kathleen Parkinson places this brilliant and bitter satire on the moral failure of the Jazz Age firmly in the context of Scott Fitzgerald's life and times. She explores the intricate patterns of the novel, its chronology, locations, imagery and use of colour, and how these contribute to a seamless interplay of social comedy and symbolic landscape. She devotes a perceptive chapter to Fitzgerald's controversial portrayal of women and goes on to discuss how the central characters, Gatsby and Nick Carraway, embody and confront the dualism inherent in the American dream.
Customer Reviews:
dreams.......2002-05-29
This book is about knowing that some dreams are too far from reach, yet we still always try to attain them. Like Gatsby, we are taunted by how close we can come to that dream, but in the end, we realize that our efforts are fruitless. Each of us have our own "Daisy" -- each person did during the 20's, each person does now, each person will in the future -- The Great Gatsby is a classic. Fitzgerald does a fantastic job depicting a timeless theme that people of all time periods have experienced.
Falls Flat.......2002-05-18
I don't know if its just me, but I did not like this book too much. It feels empty- missing something almost. Perhaps it is Nick. He seems to be without a personality. He's just there. The story might as well be told in third person for crying out loud. I like protagonists with personality. Also, the author is quite sexist and racist and that is unacceptable.
I did give it two stars becuase to the author's credit, it was a tidy little book and not a sprawing mess. But then, it was too tidy and neat. After finishing it, I thought, "so what?" It did not particularly dazzle me and enlighten me, and I was not entertained. It is, all in all, a hollow book.
the best i read.......2002-05-03
i know i probabnly didnt read alot but i was assgiened this book. its complexity is so thrilling. i truly recommmend it!
its something that each of us has to ponder about ourselves becuz truly...
we are what we crate ourselves.
if u read this book ull know what im talking about.
Gatsby will hit you when you are least expecting.......2002-03-26
deep and insightful, full of intellegent analogies and representations. i read Gatsby the begining of my junior year in high school and-didnt really like it. i wrote papers on it, and dissected the ...poor novel. now-months later-it finally hits me: Gatsby is a book to be read and enjoyed! not dissected and torn appart. all the quotes and passages that i liked so much came rushing back to me... i understood what fitz may have been writing about! i though and though and thought about Gatsby and realized that i did not just Like the book-i [really] LOVED IT!
3 and a half stars actually.......2002-03-23
The novel is beautiful written. I have one problem is with the theme: money doesn't buy. I don't disagree with that statement, it is just king of obvious. I mean it is not exactly an epiphaney.
Book Description
The mysterious Jay Gatsby embodies the American notion that it is possible to redefine oneself and persuade the world to accept that definition. Gatsby's youthful neighbor, Nick Carraway, fascinated with the display of enormous wealth in which Gatsby revels, finds himself swept up in the lavish lifestyle of Long Island society during the Jazz Age. Considered Fitzgerald's best work, The Great Gatsby is a mystical, timeless story of integrity and cruelty, vision and despair. Now available unabridged on CD, Alexander Scourby delivers Fitzgerald's story in “one of the finest readings ever recorded” (The New York Times). “[Fitzgerald's] talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings.” — Ernest Hemingway
Customer Reviews:
A Monument in Audio Book History.......2005-09-29
Scott Fitzgerald, a monumental talent who only occasionally got things working right, made Gatsby great by the extraordinary invention of Nick Carraway. Carraway as narrator provided the exact perfect pitch: more awestruck than he would admit, more moral than it was fashionable to reveal -- always objective and distanced and subtle and charming, genuinely decent and impeccably well mannered, a little dangerously smitten himself by the lovely but corrupt Jordan Baker.
Alexander Scourby, one of the greatest reading voices of his era (overlapping Fitzgerald's enough to know and feel it all) here does Carraway in a way that cannot, therefore, again be quite equalled. Imagine having a recording of a great contemporary actor reading Ahab's speeches in Moby Dick, and one begins to appreciate the gift that we only now have in recorded sound, something we are already quite casual about. But there is much more here than historical accuracy. Scourby's voice wraps around every phrase of Fitzgeral's text with both an actor's professionalism and a good reader's care, making it not only uncannily his own monument but also a monument in audio book history. It sets the bar, and anyone interested in the recorded voice as an art form should own this for repeated learning.
Maybe Gatsby wasn't great, but the story is..........2004-09-28
There is a reason why this is required reading in advanced literature classes throughout the country. This is without a doubt one of the best tales ever told. It should be used as an example to any aspiring writer of what great writing can be. The thing that makes it so great is Fitzgerald's ability to formulate characters, both large and small, and his ability to have them interact in a manner that is at once both imaginative and realistic. This makes the story, which in and of itself is not more amazing than other books, more amazing because you are compelled to believe the plausibility of a story that is incredible. Even if you are not a literature student you will find this book an enjoyable read that is intellectually stimulating, yet easy reading for those reading to relax. Many have copied this story directly and indirectly because of the lesson it teaches (that in the story about life and that about creating a story) and many will continue to do so in the future.
Heartrending.......2003-01-26
I listened to this book over a few nights with my wife, after having read it first some sixteen years ago. It is a masterpiece, and known widely as such, but what surprised me on hearing it was how the book I'd remembered as terribly romantic was actually rather clear-eyed and dark. My wife, who had never read it, listened spell-bound, and at the end burst into tears at the sadness of it. A word about Scourby as reader - he is restrained but emotional, captures the personality of each character with a slightly different tone, and - most importantly for me - brings out the fact that the closing pages, which are often quoted out of context as deeply romantic, are in fact painfully cynical, a voice of disenchantment about the cost of America, not its promise. A masterpiece on the page and on tape. Can't recommend it too highly.
What it means to be an American.......2002-10-28
After living abroad in the Middle East for a year and traveling through more than twenty-five countries, I recently re-read The Great Gatsby, seeking the familiarity of America. The Great Gatsby captures what is different about Americans and the American experience. At its most basic, America represents endless striving for greatness. Whether in business, science, athletics or world affairs, Americans imagine and seek the best. Though we often stumble and fall short; though we often cut corners to achieve our dreams - striving for greatness is the essence of America. In Gatsby, we feel what it is like to want something so badly, to succeed in reaching it and to ultimately fail. How many of us have not shared these experiences in some way or another? American writings today, such as David Ebershoff's Pasadena (2002) and Scott Gaille's The Law Review (2002), continue to explore Gatsby's central theme of obsession with greatness. In this time of global uncertainty, we can get back in touch with what it means to be an American by reading such books.
Thought Provoking.......2002-08-27
This was a book that stayed with me long after hearing it read. I found Gatsby to be a very intriguing character because of his singleminded passion. I enjoyed understanding the thoughts and ideas of Carraway. The writing provided vivid imagery of a time gone by and yet it was a timeless story. Highly recommend.
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The Great Gatsby (Penguin Popular Classics)
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Manufacturer: Penguin Books
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ASIN: 0140620184 |
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- Relatively good notes for subject
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Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Cliffs Notes)
Cliffs Notes , and
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The Great Gatsby (Penguin Critical Studies Guide)
ASIN: 0764586017 |
Book Description
The original CliffsNotes study guides offer a look into key elements and ideas within classic works of literature. The latest generation of titles in this series also features glossaries and visual elements that complement the familiar format.
CliffsNotes on The Great Gatsby explores F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel of triumph, tragedy, and a classic love triangle in the 1920s.
Following the story of a young Midwesterner who’s fascinated by the mysterious past and opulent lifestyle of his landlord, this study guide provides summaries and critical commentaries for each chapter within the novel. Other features that help you figure out this important work include
- Personal background on the author
- Introduction to and synopsis of the book
- In-depth character analyses
- Critical essays on topics of interest
- Review section that features interactive questions and suggested essay topics and practice projects
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Center with books, videos, and Web sites that can help round out your knowledge
Classic literature or modern-day treasure — you'll understand it all with expert information and insight from CliffsNotes study guides.
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A fascinating and tragic story of a man obsessed with the idea of success in America. Gatsby's singularity of purpose makes him a caricature of many American ideologies, all told in a spectacular, artful narrative.
Customer Reviews:
Relatively good notes for subject.......2005-10-30
Here is an honest review of the book for what it is, not the ethical and educational implications of reading this book. In terms of the educational value received from the book, it's not too bad. Although their vocabulary isn't as great as the vocabular sparknotes employs, their guides seem to colloquially explain the subject material, which is the purpose of the book. I bought the book because I was at Target and needed a guide for an upcomming test where I wouldn't have internet access the nights before (I usually use sparknotes because it's free), and I was surprised by the writing quality of the book. Granted, it's not as good as Fitzgeral's writing, however it does relate the story, which is the primary purpose for a history class.
Concerning the people who have condemned this book, they need to understand the multiple approaches to learning subject areas. Currently I maintain a schedule where on good days I receive 6 hours of sleep and on bad a receive 3 to none because of my busy schedule and heavy extra-cirricular activity. Reading cliff-notes doesn't mean we as readers won't look in the book for quotes (for example - writing a paper) to support our ideas. Simply condemning them because they're not the real book is unfair to the book, the authors, and the people that use cliff notes for ligitimate purposes. Overall, it conveys the idea well, however sparknotes does an equally decent job.
DONT DO IT.......2005-10-14
I am embarrased that someone is looking at this page and considering reading the cliffnotes for one the the best (and not to mention shortest) pieces of american literature. Try to use your brains for something other than reality television and choosing a fast food joint. Its not all that hard to read this book and understand it. ENJOY!
What are you thinking?!.......2002-10-09
Stop right now. Do NOT buy this. Buy the actual book instead! I know, I know, crazy idea in this day and age, but Cliffs Notes are exactly what is wrong with the world of literature these days: too many people reading the Reader's Digest version, and not enough actually reading great literature! I mean, come on people, the book is less than 200 pages long. You can read it in one sitting. And it's not even that difficult to understand--the prose is limpid and the plot engrossing. Don't cheat; don't take the easy way out. Do the right thing. Read the book, not the Cliffs Notes.
Very helpful........2002-08-21
"Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby (Cliffs Notes)" is a great way to help you understand what you're reading, if you're having difficulties. If you're not having a problem reading "The Great Gatsby," this will give you questions to test your knowledge of the book. Of course, you should read the Cliffs Notes AFTER you read "The Great Gatsby," not instead of. I recommend.
Pathetic.......2002-04-19
I am not a student. I wanted to read The Great Gatsby but I had no one with whom I could discuss the story. I decided in a momentary lapse of judgment to supplement my reading with the Cliffs Notes. Unfortunately, it was full of grammatical errors and what I found to be very superficial commentaries.
Customer Reviews:
America's first soap opera.......2006-09-27
This book is part of a four-volume series of books by F. S. Fitzgerald produced by this publisher; the other three being The Last Tycoon, This Side of Paradise, and Tender is the Night. The Great Gatsby is of course, the most famous of them all, and probably one of the most famous novels of American literature. Written before the economic growth post WWII brought riches to everyone, this book provided the American masses an in-depth glimpse of the lives and loves of the rich and famous. The book here revolves around Nick, his friend Jay Gatsby, the love of Gatsby's life, Daisy, and her shallow husband Tom. Gatsby rose from poverty to become incredibly rich thru means both scrupolous and not, and then spends his thoughts and energies pining after the beautiful Daisy. Every aspect of his life is devoted to enriching himself and/or his stature in the Long Island community he has transplanted himself into. All for naught are his efforts as the book ends.
This book did not begin that American literary genre of books that critique the rich, but coming out at a similar time as Veblein's "Theory of the Leisure Class" this book is the perfect fictional complement to Veblein's nonfiction account of the rich and their vices. Here, in these pages we see the sins of alcoholism, adultery, pride, arrogance, jealousy, shallowness, and irresponsibility that are allowed by a wealthy lifestyle where much idle time allows for many dishonest thoughts. At first unpopular, this book eventually became the mainstay of classrooms that it now is. Hollywood and modern American literature has mimicked the themes and often storylines of this novel; think soap operas, the Kennedys, and Danielle Steele novels. Overall, the book is a classic, worth reading and having, though it does not get this reviewer's vote as the best book of American literature.
Book Description
More critical writing exists on The Great Gatsby than on any other work of American fiction. This Columbia Critical Guide introduces and contextualizes the key critical debates surrounding Fitzgerald's novel. The extracts and essays included here reflect The Great Gatsby's place as one of the first American novels to make significant use of modernist techniques and explore the influence of this "Lost Generation" work on later American writings. In considering secondary sources from the twenties to the present, this smart and sophisticated study guide offers readers an invaluable resource on this complex rendering of a moment in American history.
Customer Reviews:
Maybe Gatsby wasn't great, but the story is..........2004-09-28
There is a reason why this is required reading in advanced literature classes throughout the country. This is without a doubt one of the best tales ever told. It should be used as an example to any aspiring writer of what great writing can be. The thing that makes it so great is Fitzgerald's ability to formulate characters, both large and small, and his ability to have them interact in a manner that is at once both imaginative and realistic. This makes the story, which in and of itself is not more amazing than other books, more amazing because you are compelled to believe the plausibility of a story that is incredible. Even if you are not a literature student you will find this book an enjoyable read that is intellectually stimulating, yet easy reading for those reading to relax. Many have copied this story directly and indirectly because of the lesson it teaches (that in the story about life and that about creating a story) and many will continue to do so in the future.
The Failure of Gatsby's American Dream.......2003-12-02
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was published by Simon & Schuster Inc. in New York in 1925. The book is about the American Dream and the failure of the attempt to reach its illusionary goals, especially the Gatsby's. The attempt to capture the American Dream is central theme to many stories of all times. For Gatsby, the dream is that one can acquire love and happiness through wealth and power. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896 - 1940) was born in St Paul, Minnesota. He was an American short-story writer and novelist. The Great Gatsby is considered as Fitzgerald's finest novel.
The story was set in New York and Long Island in 1920's. Nick Carraway is a young man working as a bond broker in New York. He is used as the narrator throughout the story. Nick acts as an insider as well as an outsider. He eyes everything that is happening in between, but has no intention to interfere. I think he chooses not to lose anybody close to him in the story. This arrangement makes it easy for Fitzgerald to give the audience detailed inside information and to back out as an outsider as needed. The core character, Jay Gatsby, is a character that longs for the past. He devotes most of his adult life trying to recapture it and he finally pays his life as the price in his pursuit. When he was young in the military, Gatsby fell in love with the beautiful Daisy, but he could not marry her because of the difference in their social status. So he left her to acquire wealth. When he got the wealth legally or illegally, he moved near to Daisy, who has already married to another wealthy man, and threw extravagant parties every week hoping Daisy might show up one day at the party. Finally, he set up a meeting with Daisy through her cousin Nick. Fitzgerald uses Gatsby's personal dream to symbolize the larger American Dream where all have the opportunity to get what they want.
Nick is a multi-functional character to the author. He uses Nick as the approach for Gatsby to Daisy. The author naturally arranges all these. Gatsby cannot accept that the past is gone and done with. Nick once attempts to show him the folly of his dream, but Gatsby innocently replies to Nick's assertion that the past cannot be relived. For Gatsby, his American Dream is not material possessions, although it may seem that way. He only comes into wealth to fulfill his Dream, Daisy.
Gatsby believes that he is acting for good beyond his personal interest and that should guarantee success. However, he is terribly wrong. He is so determined and so blind that he would do anything to get Daisy, even covering her up for the fatal accident. His dream never comes about and he ends up paying the ultimate price for it. The idea of the American Dream still holds true in today's time, which is wealth, love, or fame. But one thing never changes about the American Dream. That is everyone desires something in life and strives to get it. Gatsby is a good example of pursuing the American Dream.
A society naturally breaks up into various social groups over time. Members of the lower statuses constantly suppose that their problems can be solved if they gain enough wealth to reach the upper class. Fitzgerald believes in his story that many people interpret the American Dream as being this passage to high social status. They believe once reaching that point, they do not have to worry about money any more. Though, the American Dream involves more than the social and economic standings of an individual.
It seems that the more Gatsby tries to obtain, the less he ends up with. The saddest part of Gatsby is the funeral, which symbolizes the ultimate failure of Gatsby to ever achieve what he has wanted. The women he loved and died for was not present. None of the people who frequented the parties over the summer showed up. Wolfsheim, whom Nick believed to be a close friend to Gatsby, refused to attend. The idealism conflicts with the materialism and is torn apart. However, it is his father who lives at the bottom of the society, who is the most natural and native person in the story, whom Gatsby has never mentioned about, finds his way to his son's mansion for the funeral. What greatness of a father's love is in contrast to the love that Gatsby died for? That is the love of eternity. The father loves his son no matter his son is rich or poor. At this moment, both the idealism and materialism are eclipsed by the truthfulness and naturalness. And that is why Nick was tired of the life there, the carelessness of the people, and the corruption of the society in the American East. He decided to head back to his origin, to the more natural and traditional American Mid-West.
Gatsby possesses an extreme imbalance between the material and spiritual sides of himself. Fitzgerald uses him as a portrait of the ultimate failure of the American Dream in that individuals tend to believe wealth is everything. Maybe what Fitzgerald wants to say is that a nation cannot operate solely on materialism. The spirits of individuals are the true composition of a nation.
The Great Gatsby: What a novel!.......2003-07-09
The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a fiction novel that took the world by storm. Nick, Jay Gatsby, Tom and Daisy Buchanan, Jordan a tangled mess of social relationships, some intended for love, some for friendships, others stemmed from old running love. Nick lives on West Egg, near the Gatsby mansion, Gatsby a man whom Nick comes to know well, as well as possible.
Gatsby throws huge social gatherings that people come to even if not familiar with the man Gatsby himself. Nick goes to these gatherings and soon meets Gatsby and becomes friends of leisure. When reading of these lavish parties of Gatsby's F. Scott Fitzgerald makes you feel as though you have been there and wish to stay one second and leave the next by feelings of discomfort. But yet you will want to continue to read to see what is in store next.
Gatsby throws these gatherings in hopes of meeting Daisy once again, for in the past they were lovers. Tom, who is Daisy's husband, is also Nick's old college buddy, is clueless of Gatsby's intentions with Daisy. Which Tom himself is not so faithful to Daisy. Nick agrees, not so whole heartedly, to help Gatsby and Daisy meet. As all of this falls into place Tom continues to see a mistress by the name of Mrs. Wilson, a woman who is married to a mechanic living in a dreary place. Meanwhile Nick starts to fall for a flirtatious and wildly mannered Ms. Jordan Baker. The parties continue to exist, and the company continues to fall into a social web of deceit and denial. As this all takes place you feel for Gatsby because of his longing for Daisy, but are struck by a weak appalling feeling for the way he seems to go about his business.
As the story continues to fall into place some find true love, some find old love, while others find the truth. The plot thickens as a death occurs causing an uproar of suspension of motive and a scandalous cover up causing suspension and tension among the old acquaintances.
F. Scott Fitzgerald throws twist and turns at you in this novel just when you think nothing else could happen. He has quite the talent for hooking a read and slowly reeling them in to feel every slight bump and jerk before reaching the shore, or the end. Which leads to another misfortunate death in the novel that was a great mistake, but yet made a great ending to a great novel that will have you intrigued from the first page to the last.
Product Description
As a busy teacher, you don't have time to waste reinventing the wheel. You want to get down to the business of teaching. Finally, you can address the content standards while you teach the required core literature! Our professionally developed, teacher-written, reproducible Literature Guides place the emphasis on the content standards, while providing you with the activities and materials you need to help your students understand and evaluate the novels and other literature that you are required to teach. Secondary Solutions® has provided you with the answer to your time management problems, saving you hours of tedious and exhausting work. No more researching, creating, writing, editing and printing your own educational materials. Everything you need has been done for you! Our Guides will allow you to focus on the most important aspects of teaching—the personal, one-on-one, hands-on instruction you enjoy most—the reason you became a teacher in the first place! Secondary Solutions® provides all the necessary worksheets and materials for complete coverage of the literature units of study, including author biographies, pre-reading activities, numerous and varied vocabulary and comprehension activities, study-guide questions, graphic organizers, literary analysis and critical thinking activities, essay writing ideas, sample rubrics, extension activities, quizzes, unit tests, alternative assessment, online teacher assistance, and much, much more. Each Guide is designed to address the unique learning styles and comprehension levels of every student in your classroom. All materials are written and presented at the grade level of the learner, and include extensive coverage of the content standards. As an added bonus, all teacher materials are included!
Customer Reviews:
The best I've seen!.......2005-08-02
This guide is really helpful. The Great Gatsby is such a tough book to teach and I have struggled to teach the novel without good materials. I have made up quizzes and tests for the novel that don't come anywhere close to these. Plus, the vocabulary reinforcement with worksheets throughout that give the students extra practice with test-taking skills is great! I cannot wait to start the year anew.
Book Description
This is the first edition ever published of Trimalchio, an early and complete version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald wrote the novel as Trimalchio and submitted it to Maxwell Perkins, his editor at Scribner's, who had the novel set in type and sent the galleys to Fitzgerald in France. Fitzgerald then virtually rewrote the novel in galleys, producing the book we know as The Great Gatsby. This first version, Trimalchio, has never been published and has only been read by a handful of people. It is markedly different from The Great Gatsby: two chapters were completely rewritten for the published novel, and the rest of the book was heavily revised. Characterization is different, the narrative voice of Nick Carraway is altered and, most importantly, the revelation of Jay Gatsby's past is handled in a wholly different way. James L.W. West III directs the Penn State Center for the History of the Book and is General Editor of the Cambridge Edition of the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. He is the author of William Styron: A Descriptive Biography (Random House, 1998).
Customer Reviews:
A Fascinating Early Draft of The Great Gatsby.......2004-02-04
As a die hard Fitzgerald fan, Trimalchio has enhanced my love and understanding of The Great Gatsby. I really loved the signifance of the name Trimalchio, once I understood it. (For those of you who haven't read the 2nd century AD play by Titus Petronius in which Trimalchio is orignially referenced, Trimalchio is a slave who throws an extragavent feast that everyone laughs behind his back at.) Knowing the reference gave such new depth to my understanding of Gatsby's character, for who was he really if not an updated Trimalchio?
Something else that seemed rather interesting to me were some of the white supremecy illusions that Fitzgerald sprinkled lightly throughout the novel, notably in conversations with Tom and Daisy about the "Master Race". I also noticed a Swastika Holding Company noted in one of Nick's outings to NYC. That alone, the Swastika Holding Company within an F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, is worthy of a dissertation.
This early draft seems far darker than The Great Gatsby, yet far clearer in character definition. I understood Gatsby and Daisy's characters far more clearly in this draft. This is an absolutely gorgeous, gorgeous preview of what would become "The Great Gatsby" and I highly recommend it.
Beautiful & fascinating -- A must-read for "Gatsby" lovers.......2003-06-07
"The Great Gatsby" is my favorite book. This early version is absoultutely fascinating to me. I've read much about the history of the manuscript and the changes made to it, and with "Trimalchio" we get to read for ourselves one version. I was thrilled to have this unusual opportunity; I felt privileged. (Only one complaint in this review is in my last paragraph.)
Aside from the sheer thrill of witnessing at least part of the transition and revision, the book itself is a wonder--to one end--to be viewed along with "The Great Gatsby." Things I've been bothered by in "Gatsby" are different in this book, and it's interesting to read that they had indeed been altered - most notably, the mid-section in "Gatsby" when Nick tells the reader in a near omnicient narration Gatsby's true story; this happens entirely differently in "Trimalchio" and in my opinion does not break the narrative flow the way it does in the final "Great Gatsby."
Some unanswered questions, some debated items become clearer after reading this. Is Gatsby a good guy or a bad guy? Is Nick? Who is Jordan Baker really? Is Nick the agent of the action or an observant/removed narrator? "Trimalchio" presents the answers to some of these questions differently than does "The Great Gatsby," or in a more straightforward and clear fashion. In a sense, this could be a truer-to-Fitzgerald's-soul account, as many of the changes were suggested to him from the outside. Many of the characters underwent changes from this version to "The Great Gatsby," though some changes more major than others.
I'm trying, in this review, not to write what would be a book's worth of my opinion about which is a superior book. Gatsby is such a part of me I could write forever. I will mention that typos and other necessary changes were made from this to the final, as well. And although some things I've questioned and have bothered me simply because I do love the book so much are different in this early version, I don't know how I'd feel if this were the *only* version of the book, as what we have here is an early version of a book I'd always thought brilliant.
The language is beautiful; the characters amazing, sad, complex. I'm infinitely impressed by this book, whichever level of "completion."
I've got one complaint about this edition of "Trimalchio": at the back of the book, there is a list of changes made - galley version, holograph, 1st edition, etc. They are laid out in such a way that they are hard to follow and hard to study. I nearly know "The Great Gatsby" by heart. While reading "Trimalchio" I noticed tiny, tiny differences. But, after I finished, I wanted to truly study the changes at each stage of Fitzgerald's writing, and the lay-out and lack of explanation made it oppressively uninviting. It's too bad, too, because I am ceaselessly (as FSF might say) interested in this - this book, the revision process, its history, everything Gatsby.
Interesting for what it is and what it isn't.......2003-01-16
For all the talk about the many differences with The Great Gatsby, Trimalchio is still essentially a rough draft of the classic it became rather than a separate and distinct novel. Only the final two chapters are appreciably different beyond the point of reading both novels side by side a page at a time (and as much as I admire Fitzgerald, I'll leave that task to someone else!). Nonetheless, there are enough slight changes in character development and imagery throughout the book to make it interesting.
In one sense - especially in the little-changed early chapters - this version of the story is interesting mostly in that it demonstrates the improvement brought about by the relatively few changes that were still to come. For example, Jordan Baker's climactic recollection of seeing Daisy and Gatsby together during the war is quite a bit less scandalous here than in the final version, so that the plot still advances but much of the tension of the scene is lacking. Some of the party scenes are also less detailed than they would become. None of this is to say these parts of the book aren't still enjoyable, especially if you haven't read Gatsby recently; it's just that the changes Fitzgerald made really did improve the story in small but noticeable ways.
Although the end of the story is largely the same, the last two chapters do hold several surprises for those who are already familiar with the final version. Gatsby is portrayed at least slightly more sympathetically, Nick is less of a shadow, and the past events leading up to the currently unfolding plot are both different and somewhat less vague. This takes away some of the mystique of several of the characters, but it's not necessarily better or worse; in any case, it's fascinating to see Fitzgerald's original approach and how it changed. One thing he arguably didn't change enough is Nick's bleak outlook in the closing pages; life doesn't end at 30 just because of a lousy summer! I've always considered that the weakest point of the novel, but this version at least offers a slightly different context and narration of the ending.
Imperfections and all, it's still brilliant. Recommended for all Gatsby fans.
A Must-Read for Gatsby/Fitzgerald Fans.......2000-10-27
I first encountered "The Great Gatsby" in 11th grade and its sheer lyric beauty has transfixed me to the point of at least 4 readings per year ever since. Therefore, "Trimalchio" was a joy for me to read and I believe it will bring the same amount of happiness to fellow Fitzgerald fans. The book is a brief read at only 146 pages of actual text,( as opposed to "Gatsby's" 189 in the most recent Scribner paperback edition) but the opportunity to read the rough draft of a genuis like Fitzgerald is an invigorating experience- reading passages from "Trimalchio" and then looking at their equivalent passages in "Gatsby" allows you to enter the mind of Fitzgerald through his revisionary decisions and enchances your appreciation of the sheer amount of work which Fitzgerald devoted to crafting his masterpiece. That being said, do not expect incredible differences between the two texts: the most notable changes are minor details and the chronilogical order of events and revelations. Reading "Trimalchio" is ultimately like watching deleted scenes from a movie on a DVD- they are of comparatively minor significance, but they enhance one's appreciation of the work as a whole. If you loved "The Great Gatsby," take the time to read "Trimalchio."
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