The Great Gatsby
Wed, 2003-01-15 12:35
#1
The Great Gatsby
I just finished re-reading this classic. The first time read it was about 1969, shortly before I was preparing to go off to Yale from my home town in the Midwest. The book hits home in that respect. All of the main characters were from the Midwest, as was Fitzgerald himself.
The style struck me as spare, but when and who decided that every novel must be long and florid? Lord of the Flies is also short and spare, and I must confess that after having posted that thread below, I've decided the book is much better than my first impression suggested. It really does stick with the reader, at least this reader, as does Gatsby.
So then, it really isn't necessary for a novel to be at least 120,000 words...LOL...?
jonsmalldon
Novels of only 120,000 words? Surely you know that all novels these days must be over 200,000 words, be publicised 6 months in advance of publication and be hyped with the promise of a tantalising 'revelation' about the central bespectacled wizard character. There are no other novels in the world today.
That said ...
I haven't read Great Gatsby in years. I read it (for fun) when I was about 17 which is eight years ago and I don't think I really got it then. I keep meaning to read it again and, you know, I think I just might ... just to keep me going until Goblet of Fire comes out you understand ...
Jazz
Fitzgerald is magic, but if you want something mind blowin' try Tender Is The Night which i read for A Level...it is the business
justyn_thyme
I also like his short stories. The Diamond as Big as The Ritz is a classic tale about magical thinking and big expectations. It should be required reading for investors.
He also wrote a whole series of short stories featuring a character called Pat Hobby. Fitzgerald was really down and out in Hollywood at that time, sleeping in his car, trying to make enough to buy booze by writing these Pat Hobby stories, largely autobiographical. Quite different from the Jazz Age stuff.
AS for length, during the Great Depression of the 1930s, novels were supposed to be long to be successful because people thought they were getting a better value if the book was long. Now a book has to be long just to prove the author can type, I suppose. King's Carrie was only about 125 pages or so. He can't do anything in less than 500-700 pages now. scribble scribble