Walter-MarkItZero t1_ity80bj wrote on October 27, 2022 at 4:23 AM

It’s a fantastic novel and has been recognized as such for almost a century. If you think it’s just about rich people and high society, you’re really missing quite a bit.

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

One of the best lines in literature, has nothing to do with wealth.

The_Grahf_Experiment t1_ity9hyy wrote on October 27, 2022 at 4:39 AM

I concur. It is all but about wealthy people.

Also Lord of the Flies may deserve a second chance. It is a great book, very hard, violent and dark, but highly influential and relevant in nowadays society's approach to freedom and authority.

"Maybe there is a beast… maybe it's only us."

wjbc t1_itya8ew wrote on October 27, 2022 at 4:47 AM

Actually The Great Gatsby was not really appreciated by critics or the commercial market until after Fitzgerald's death in 1940. During WW2 the book was distributed to soldiers and they liked it. By 1944 critics recognized the revival in interest wasn't a fad, and scholars started to re-examine it. After that it became both a critical and commercial success, and is still both today -- but Fitzgerald never knew about it.

I agree that it's a fantastic novel. But I would say it's only been recognized as such for about 80 years, maybe less.

I wonder why it appealed so much to WW2 soldiers, in particular. It may have had something to do with the waning power of the Eastern elites portrayed in the book. After all, the soldiers were picked from all walks of life. And then when they returned to civilian life they weren't content to go back to their previous roles. They formed the great middle class of the 1950s and 60s, and through the G.I. bill they filled colleges that formerly had been reserved for the rich and privileged.

Now we may have come full circle, with a much greater divide between the rich and the rest of us. But that would make the book more relevant than ever.

Walter-MarkItZero t1_itybdxs wrote on October 27, 2022 at 4:59 AM

Like I said, almost a century. Closer to 100 than 50, to be sure.

And be careful drawing broad strokes about critics - it wasn’t a commercial success, but a number of critics and colleague praised it quite highly. It wasn’t universally panned.

wjbc t1_itycvml wrote on October 27, 2022 at 5:16 AM

No, but Fitzgerald felt that even the favorable reviews missed the point of the story.

peccavi26 t1_itybnl4 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 5:02 AM

Indeed that quote made me stop reading for a moment the first time I picked this book up.

From the unreliability of the narrator—no doubt in part due to his ptsd from WWI—to the overt symbolism both in characters and time setting—which Gatsby emphasizes through his attempts to “fit in,” it really is an enjoyable read.

That said, I agree with OP wholeheartedly that it’s just harder to read—and enjoy—works that are assigned.

mindbodyproblem t1_ityd193 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 5:18 AM

I mean, the quote is the last sentence in the book, so yeah I guess you stopped reading at that point.

Walter-MarkItZero t1_ityc04j wrote on October 27, 2022 at 5:06 AM

Speaking of the unreliable narrator - I find this article fascinating.

I personally abhor when activists try to retroactively find social commentary in works the author never intended, but this article makes a fairly persuasive argument that Fitzgerald did intend it. I mean, Fitzgerald wrote each word, he included it in the book, it has to mean SOMETHING.

https://themillions.com/2018/04/the-queering-of-nick-carraway.html

Upset_Philosophy_683 t1_itz7sm7 wrote on October 27, 2022 at 11:56 AM

The problem with that line is that while 'older' people may appreciate it's meaning, most young people don't have a past to be borne back to. They have nothing to beat on against, no current pulling them back

It just doesn't resonante with a teenage audience, because the majority of them lack the experience nessesary to truly comprehend what it means. And that is precisely the reason why most students consider it boring. (I mean one of the comments here says it first got popular with soldiers. The overlap between children and soldiers should preferably be 0)

One can argue about the use of literature in class but you still have to keep in mind that teenagers have a very different outlook on life than adults do, so the same book can come across in entirely different ways. The skill of literally analysis is certainly valuable, but I'd wager more students may pay attention if they actually care about the characters, and that can be better accomplished with a book selection that keeps it's target audience in mind.