I’m writing this in pure appreciation to the book and to my English class. I know Gatsby is one of the most popular books, but it really makes sense on why it is. There is something so special and magical about the book and how it holds up to day. And I think part of me has to thank my English class for that. Getting the history on the author F Scott Fitzgerald really just made the book so much more enjoyable because I was able to find so many parallels between him and Gatsby. I can literally talk about the book for hours and I love hearing other people from my class and other classes talk about the book. I wasn’t the only one who was so impacted on it. And I think one of the best parts about it is that so many different generations have read it so you can talk about it with so many different people. I had a great conversation with my grandfather about the book and he really understood how I felt about it. We both agreed on how, as a man especially, you can relate to Gatsby. With his desire, his passion, and his mystery, he truly is such a great character. This book is so special to me and has even sparked a new interest in reading(which I always found hard for me to do). Growing up in elementary school reading was used as a punishment, but now I feel so different about it. I truly want to read and learn. There’s so much out there and it makes me so happy. Thank You Gatsby :)
Comments
KobeLP OP t1_j983aew wrote
I’m really glad you came to appreciate the book. I’m also super thankful to my English teacher
RockingBytheSeaside t1_j95dikt wrote
I recently read The Great Gatsby, since I will have it assigned for my American Literature course. I was surprised how short and fast paced the book was; for such a classic, I expected a much more lengthy writing style. But It's pleasant to see people properly appreciate the book.
Although, may I ask, how is the author connected to Gatsby? I am curious - also would like to hear what more you liked about the book.
T_86 t1_j96rqrt wrote
I’m also interested to hear OPs connections of Gatsby to Fitzgerald. All I can think of is how F. Scott Fitzgerald had a similar romantic obsession to a former born rich girlfriend (Ginevra King), similar to Jay Gatsby’s fixation with Daisy Buchanan. However, it’s fairly well known that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s inspiration for Jay Gatsby’s character was based on a neighbour (Max Von Gerlach) he and his wife Zelda had while living in Long Island. Apparently Max Avon Gerlach was mysterious and claimed many stories about himself, also had lavish parties, always wore brand new clothing, frequently used the phrase “old sport”, had severed in the military, became rich through bootlegging, and many other similarities to the character Jay Gatsby.
KobeLP OP t1_j98306i wrote
Hi thank you to both for commenting on this post! So in response to both of your comments on how the author is connected to Gatsby, I am going to mainly state what I learned in my class. Jay Gatsby represents obsession and patience and what I learned about F Scott Fitzgerald is that he had a similar story with his wife Zelda. Fitzgerald was only able to get the attention from Zelda once he started becoming rich, and before that she had no interest in him. Just like Gatsby, Fitzgerald still waited. Those were the main parallels at the time when Fitzgerald was still alive, however crazy enough, after the book was written, we can even compare the tragedy of Gatsby to Fitzgeralds tragedy. Sadly enough, Gatsby did not take off upon first selling, and this was due to people thinking Fitzgerald was a bad author and not giving him a chance. It was only till years later the book was truly appreciated. After not having a success with his book, Zelda proceeded to leave Fitzgerald after all that time he waited for her. Fitzgerald then proceeded to die of a heart attack (presumably caused my alcohol, and Zelda died in a mental institution. Now, obviously Fitzgerald couldn’t predict him and Gatsby having both terrible tragedies happening to them. But it turned out that way, and to me that’s crazy. Thank you guys again for the comments!
T_86 t1_j985qi3 wrote
I love that you have such an interest in Fitzgerald. He’s my favourite author. However, most of your comparisons you listed weren’t accurate. Fitzgerald and his wife met at a country club and wrote each other many love letters while he was away in the army. It was Zelda’s parents that had reservations about Fitzgerald not being rich and trying to become an author which they assumed he’d never be successful at. He had two successful novels before writing The Great Gatsby, which was not considered a success for its time. They drank away a lot of their money and Fitzgerald wrote many short stories to keep money coming in. He had a few well known affairs on his wife who later was institutionalized for schizophrenia and died when the hospital had a fire.
KobeLP OP t1_j998ypg wrote
Haha thanks. He really is amazing. Now these are things I did learn in my English class so I haven’t really done crazy research. I think you describe another similarity tho between Gatsby and Fitzgerald and how he was gone for a while and still waited. Patience. What I learned, was that Fitzgerald wrote one book that was really good, however, he proceeded to write a second book that completely flopped, and they considered Fitzgerald to be a bad author after that. Then, in efforts for more money, he wrote The Great Gatsby, but since critics considered him to be bad, no one ever gave it a chance that it deserved, and even though some critics came out and said it was good, he didn’t get the success he needed.
ughlacrossereally t1_j95o3tl wrote
I'm happy for you. please keep it up. society needs people who love to read. they become empathetic and all the knowledge of the world is held in books.
KobeLP OP t1_j9832yk wrote
Yes! I couldn’t agree more
TheInvisibleWun2 t1_j96fjan wrote
Absolutely extraordinary book that.
Stevej38857 t1_j96s6pu wrote
It's a great book. I've read it several times. I read it again about a year ago because I was preparing to write a book set in that time period. It helped me get in the proper mood. Thanks for reminding me of this, Old Sport.
KobeLP OP t1_j9834we wrote
Of course, glad you enjoyed the book as much as I did, old sport.
[deleted] t1_j96ff4t wrote
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[deleted] t1_j96p64s wrote
He has a pleasant, Nick Carraway-sounding voice indeed.
Dismal-Meringue3762 t1_j98hkvk wrote
I’m a high school English teacher, and my class is finishing our unit on The Great Gatsby right now. One of my all-time favorites! It makes me happy to read this. ☺️
KobeLP OP t1_j998ior wrote
Glad to hear :)
carpenoctem122 t1_j9wordd wrote
The last page of the book is the most beautiful to me, I loved this book.
[deleted] t1_j95ag0w wrote
The Great Gatsby is one of those books I didn't properly appreciate in high school. I read superficially but missed most of the meaning. Fortunately, years later, I went back and read it for fun. I don't know if it was just the passage of time or the fact I was reading by choice, but it made all the difference. There's part of me that's thanking my long-ago English teacher now for putting this book in front of me.