The Great Gatsby

Give me your thoughts on this book. Is it worth the praise it receives?

Hard mode: you actually explain your reasoning

It's worth teaching, as it's a pretty good novel for educational purposes and is easy to interpret via various critical theories.
As a book to read for it being genuinely a good read, it's meh.

It's a solid, but safe, book. A great period piece. As far as novels go, it's hard to name one that is as enthralling, clearly-written, and perfect as that one. Of course, people don't love reading perfect novels. They prefer something unique and challenging and original.

It's like asking a movie critic which is better: The Godfather or La Dolce Vita. The Godfather is the perfect movie because the script is great, the acting is great, the plot is captivating, and it's damn near perfect. But I don't go on film lists looking for another Godfather. I'm looking for another La Dolce Vita because it's got personality, it has quirks, it's a bit nihilistic, the motivations and emotions of the characters are difficult to completely pin down, and it makes me think hard about life.

Also, I enjoyed This Side of Paradise and Tender is the Night more than Gatsby.

Gatsby is better than This Side of Paradise, which is kinda weak. Tender is the Night is undoubtedly a masterpiece though, and The Beautiful and Damned probably ranks between Tender is the Night and Gatsby along with his short stories.

Really? I hated this side of paradise. What did you like about it? I agree with you on tender is the night but I think it's very close

Several scenes from This Side of Paradise reminded me so strongly of my university days that it holds a special place in my heart...and also, the haunting seen with the man with the curled-toed shoes.

I can sympathize with that. I read it in university so perhaps it warrants a reread. I don't think it's bad by any account, but it is very much a debut novel from a strong writer. I don't think he had quite found his voice yet.

>very much a debut novel

That's part of the charm, I think: he's utilizing a creative format (much of it is written like a play), he displays the seeds of later-realized alcoholism, all perfectly recognizable after the fact, and then the privileged students schmoozing about art and poetry and the life of a writer...it all spoke to me so clearly when I read it that I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Especially since I was and still am an alcoholic and aspiring writer.

It is. Gatsby is that thing that is pleasant to read and short and not challenging and then you read it and then you like it. There's nothing that is particularly mindblowing about it. So you finish it and wonder "why does it get so much praise?", cause you were expecting that "HOLY SHIT" moment that doesn't really happen. But then, at the same time, you can't really find anything to complain about it. That's when you realize why it gets the praise it gets.

The prose, even if not mindblowing, is near perfect and it's characters, setting and plot illustrate pretty well the US mentality (of a certain class) during that time.

tldr; nice story, very good prose, portraits very well characteristics of a time and place. deserves its praise.

Everyone has read this in highschool except me, for some reason. I'm reading The Republic right now, but I got this book for 25 cents at an estate sale, and it looks like a breeze.

Every basic female likes to compare themselves to "Gatsby" for some reason. I guess it makes them feel smart for referencing a book.

>females compare themselves to Gatsby

How? Women would never understand the lengths a man would go to for a woman. That is not in their psychology. To them, men are interchangeable as long as the serve the same functions. I honestly think only a man truly appreciates how sad a story The Great Gatsby is.

>every basic female likes to compare themselves to "Gatsby" for some reason
I have never seen that ever

Great novel for sensitive young men who have ever had a crush on an unattainable girl or wanted to be part of the "cool kids"

It's definitely his best book. TSOP is pretty uneven (like yall said, first novel). Tender is the Night has parts that are as good or better than Gatsby but the whole middle section of backstory on Dick Diver is pretty weak. Fitzgerald wrote it over something like ten years when the alcohol (and the Depression) had taken a toll

Gatsby is a perfect little book. There's not a sentence that needs improving. The structure is very fine, the language is beautiful

Girls mostly hate the book in my experience. Because it is about Fitzgerald's yearning to be accepted by beautiful, rich girls (expressed through Nick's fascination with Gatsby: they're two sides of Fitzgerald). He could be a very shallow person. It's kind of a coming of age novel for young men...the female equivalent would probably be something like The Bell Jar

Haven't read the book yet. I don't know, but I agree with that statement.

Have seen it quite a few times on social media and in person. I dunno man.

The Great Gatsby is only rivaled by Ulysses in its use of the English language. So yes, it's worth reading.

*tips fedora*

It's a gateway drug to better literature, so why not. It's a quick read, and as a teenager, you feel great for reading it.

Zelda my dear I love you but you're crazy. Now fix me another sloe gin fizz!

To me it felt like a depiction of the society of the USA, not being obsolete but rather fitting to this very moment.
Few real friends, superficial bonds and a lack of duty and commitment to friend(ship)s.
Lots of backstabbing and hidden brutality.

t. Kraut who has been to the US '15 &'16 (LA, San Diego, Utah, Arizona, Wyoming, NYC)

It's elegant and enjoyable writing but the story is really meh

Some of the best rhythm and assonance in all of American English.

Shit plot, good wording. The ending is quite abrupt and there should be more after it (though it is the same with my novel t. hypocrite).

Yes. Simplicity does not also mean something is of a lower quality, which is why lit tends to be lukewarm on this book. Accessibility is a turn off for many here because they use literature as a way to become a gatekeeper. Fitzgerald told a story reminiscent of the ancient tragedies, but set in a wonderfully new environment. Also nobody is as good at describing falling in love as he was. I challenge you to point to someone better at it.

>A man investigates his rich and charismatic but mysterious neighbor who seems determined to make an unattainable woman fall in love with him whateverthe cost.

Sounds pretty intriguing to me.

After Joyce, Fitzgerald is the best 20th Century prose stylist in English, maybe top 5 all time. He also avoided going all the way up his own ass like Joyce. The people on Veeky Forums who actually want to be writers would learn a lot from studying him.

No, I meant the ending is abrupt like my novel's.

It's great because everyone misunderstands it. I take great comfort in knowing I know it and they don't.
>muh symbolism
>the american dream
>gatsby was a homo
All completely wrong but terribly popular interpretations.