Revisiting a Classic –  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

My daughter’s copy and my own

 

I’ve been reading a lot for grad school, a dozen plus books in a short time, some of which I’d read already, like this one. So yep, graduate school, ME and going back AGAIN  for another degree, in writing. It shouldn’t be as much work because I’m already doing this stuff. I’m a lifelong student or a student for life, happiest when I’m learning.  Gatsby is on my graduate reading list.

Here are my thoughts this time around.

It’s been about a decade since I read this classic. It sounds cliché but it is worth stating that you never read the same book twice; the words don’t change but you do, the reader. I’d forgotten so much: the narrator Nick and his cool steady voice, the ominous eyes on the billboard by the valley of ashes and West Egg and East Egg, never the twain shall meet.

THE TREATMENT OF TIME

How does time play into the narrative? Fitzgerald condenses time into key scenes and interactions with Nick who even mentions that the recollection of a few events during that summer may seem to distort reality. He admits to the reader that he is actually in the city with much to do each day, learning the bond trade and otherwise engaged in a work-a-day world, something the East Eggers know little of.

I read my daughter’s copy of the novel which had her highlights and marginalia, bringing my attention to the teenage mind and the points of interest for a first time reader. I noticed the lyricism and writing, the setting, symbolism, foreshadow and well crafted storyline. In nine chapters, the reader learns a lot about lovers’ follies and the illusion Gatsby believes, that he can go back in time and retrieve Daisy’s love, that Tom Buchanan and their child and life together mean little. Gatsby is not beyond Nick’s scorn, indeed he says so in the first paragraphs, but what Nick learns over the course of the summer, is the East Eggers and all their snobbery are as rakish and careless, more selfish than even the corrupt and deceptive James Gatz “Gatsby”. They hide behind their money, their status and their rationalizing delusions.

Nick opens the novel with a recollection of his father’s advice on criticism and closes with Gatsby’s wonder at the green light on Daisy’s dock, the idea that he could reclaim a past and a love so easily, that like the beacon across the narrow bay it was just there, shining brightly and calling to him. And there’s an optimism to the illusion after all.

 

Love this inscription on my used copy. The perfect gift for a a new citizen, the American novel!

It’s not long and worth the read, or as the case may be, re-read.  You’ll get more out of it now as someone who’s lived a bit since your teen years.

 

Jul 21, 2017

0 Comments

About the Author

Mylinh Shattan is a writer who has lived on three continents, served in the Army, worked in corporate America, and taught in college. She loves adventures, in the world and in the mind. Literature is relevant and learning is a lifelong pursuit, so you might as well have a bit of fun along the way.

Stay Up to Date

Rise above the tedium with the TreeHouseLetter. Always learning with a bit of fun.

Latest Posts

Munger on Learning and the Art of Swearing

In memory of Charles T. Munger, who passed away at the age of 99, I am sharing a TreeHouseLetter from last year. Munger was a man who believed in always learning. In my whole life, I have known no wise people (over a broad subject matter area) who didn't read all the...

Giving Thanks for a Man I Never Met

4 Min read On love and Thanksgiving Three rules for life AVAILABLE ON PODCAST SPOTIFY * I did not know the deceased. Garrett gave the eulogy on Friday* which was hard to listen to, hard to hear his voice quaver, to see him fight for composure. Death is a surprise....

On Flesh-Eating Beetles and Sins of the Mother

7 Min read Sense writing: traditional five plus two more 2 Reading recs: historical novel and story 1 Writing guide Improve writing immediately Toolbox, ages 9 to 99 AVAILABLE ON PODCAST Spotify * Writing Through the Seven Senses When I'm working on an aspect of my...

In the Company of Heroes*

4 Min read Operation Gothic Serpent / "Black Hawk Down" 30-Year Anniversary 160th SOAR(A), Night Stalkers Panel Discussion: Mike Durant (Pilot & POW), Dan Jollota (Pilot), Lee Van Arsdale (Ground commander) Veterans Day AVAILABLE ON PODCAST Spotify * This Veterans...

Spooky Hour with Spirits of the Dead

6 min read Word Work 2 Lexicons: Webster's NID 2nd Ed and Shorter OED 1 Book rec Halloween, All Saints' Day, All Souls' Day Fall mocktail, easy and delicious AVAILABLE ON PODCAST SPOTIFY Lakeview Cemetery next to my father's grave * No pressure but what are you doing...

What’s in Your Trunk?

5 Min read New England's largest flea market* Poetry for Emergencies--on the folly of fame, legacy, empire Sonnet by Percy Bysshe Shelley Book rec on writing song lyrics Toolbox, use 7 senses to improve writing** Texan king in a cow pasture AVAILABLE ON PODCAST...

Why Do I Run?

7 min read 4 book recs: two on running and two on living Running gear for mid-life and the mid-packer Training, injury-free and effortless The Army Ten-Miler * AVAILABLE ON PODCAST SPOTIFY * Why do I run? I'm not sure I like running, even when I was fit and fast....

Topics

Inoculate yourself against the absurdity of life with a dose of the best ideas and writing. Always learning with a bit of fun.

TreeHouseLetter

Always learning with a bit of fun

 

 

Readers receive one to two letters a week, with 2 to 10 minute read time. Includes regular features:

 

The Music in Prose
Poetry for Emergencies
Toolbox

 

 

Be inspired by the best writing and ideas, and become better readers and writers in the process.

Thank you for joining! Please check your email for a confirmation.