Thursday, April 10, 1975

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Published 50 Years Ago Today

Last updated 7/5/2020.

The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald

First Publication: April 10, 1925


Category: novel


Sales: 25 million

Accolades:

About the Book:

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career” BN “and one of the greatest novels of American literature.” AZ It “is a vivid chronicle” AZ “of the Jazz Age (1920s) in all its decadence and excess,” LC “a time when The New York Times noted ‘gin was the national drink and sex the national obsession.’” BN

The Great Gatsby captured the spirit of the author’s generation” LC “and earned a permanent place in American mythology.” LC In this “timeless cautionary critique of the American dream,” AZ Fitzgerald explores “themes of class, wealth, and social status” LC by taking “a cynical look at the pursuit of wealth among a group of people for whom pleasure is the chief goal.” LC Jay Gatsby is a “flamboyant but reserved” AZ “self-made, self-invented millionaire” LC “with murky business interests and a shadowy past.” AZ

“Nick Carraway [is] a young bachelor who has just settled in the neighbouring cottage.” AZ After attending “an extravagantly lavish party” AZ at Gatsy’s “Long Island mansion, [he] …is intrigued by the mysterious host.” AZ “As the two men strike up an unlikely friendship, details of Gatsby’s impossible love for a married woman emerge, until events spiral into tragedy.” AZ


Resources and Related Links:

You can watch the 2013 movie version starring Leonardo DiCaprio on YouTube for $3.99.

Also available: the 1974 movie version, starring Robert Redford, is available on Amazon for $3.99. Click here.

In July 2018, I became the organizer of the Classic Novels Book Club. Check out the Book Club tab here or Meetup for more information. This is our February 2019 book.