The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitgerald

GENRE - Modernist literature, tragedy, literary realism

FIRST PUBLISHED - 1925

THEMES - Illusion vs reality, 1920's America, sociology of wealth, extravagance, the American dream, upper class, disillusioned love and marriage

LISTENING TIME - 5 hours, 30 minutes

SOURCE - BBC Sounds; read by Kyle Soller

PLOT - In the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway, a young man from Minnesota, moves to New York to pursue his career in the bond business. He rents a house next door to the mysterious Jay Gatsby, who hosts lavish, extravagant and very popular parties at his mansion every weekend, which Nick is soon invited to. When Nick meets Gatsby, he discovers that his parties and lifestyle are all aimed at impressing and attracting Nick's cousin, Daisy, who he's been in love with since meeting her several years ago. Nick invites Daisy for tea at his house, and an affair begins between Nick and Daisy (Daisy is married to Tom, who is having his own affair with Myrtle, who is also married). I'll finish without spoilers; Carraway, through these corrupt characters, goes on to tell a story of moral decay, the emptiness of the wealthy and the dying of the American dream. 

MY REFLECTIONS - I'm not sure if this novel is well written or not, an opinion made more difficult to form because of the use of audio, I feel. Had I read it rather than listened to it, I might feel differently, and so it may be a book I return to. It left me feeling flat and disappointed, which might be how F. Scott Fitgerald wanted me to feel, given the subject matter, but I was also, for the majority, bored, and I don't think a writer wants their reader to be bored to the point that they almost give up on the book.

I didn't like, but more importantly, didn't feel interested or entertained by any of the characters, Nick and Gatsby included; I didn't feel they were set apart from the other characters' immorality, which Nick seems to believe. They both throw themselves into a world of corruption, and although Nick might do it more blindly, and he does get out of it, he seems to me quite content to be involved in it for the most part, and walks away not because of his morals but because he was getting bored and the shit hits the fan. Whilst I understand his disillusionment, I don't care about it - I think Nick is selfish and a little bit arrogant. What I'm not clear about is the writer's intentions regarding how Nick is meant to be perceived by the reader. Are we meant to see him as an unreliable narrator who fails to understand or carry through what his father tells him, which is mentioned in the opening?  - In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since. "Whenever you feel like criticizing any one," he told me, " just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had. 

I feel Nick's actions towards Jordan symbolise and summarise Nick's whole attitude towards the rich of the roaring twenties, and perhaps the writer's feelings about women of that society - both men and women are depicted negatively throughout the novel, but I felt there was an extra amount of disdain towards women; I didn't appreciate that every woman in the story was subordinate to the male characters, and either silly, absent minded, weak or vulgar. I felt whilst listening that this was a reflection of the writer's feelings about his own experiences with women and with a little research on finishing the book, found that this could well have been the case (more about this later). However, bearing the opening of the book in mind, this novel is very much about judgement, and perhaps we are being asked to see that Nick is being judgemental, although he thinks he isn't. 

I agree with the points the writer makes about money not being everything, it won't buy you friends, greed is bad and ugly, the American dream is an illusion, don't become what other people want you to be and so on and so forth, but I didn't find anything original or poignant in the way that this was all conveyed. If I'm being asked to see that Nick has failed to live up to the book's message, well then that's a tad more original.

For me, it was all just very lacklustre - again, I'm aware that's at least partly the intention, to see the unattractive undercurrents, as Nick does. I wanted to like it more, this renowned book centred around the glamorous roaring twenties and all. I watched the 2013 film afterwards - I thought maybe it would work better for me in film form, but that was probably worse, with the exception of the scene depicting chapter 7 - the dinner party with Tom, Daisy, Gatsby, Nick and Jordan, which was probably the most entertaining part of the novel for me. 

I know this is a well loved book, and my opinions likely belongs to a minority. Everything is a matter of taste, and this one is probably just not my cup of tea. That said, this was my first audio 'read' and perhaps audio books aren't my cup of tea either, or this book doesn't work well in audio. Don't get me wrong, I don't think it's a terrible book, and I feel I'm mostly sitting on the fence, in part due to the whole audio thing. 

What the book does do very well I think, is get its main message across, that the American dream is one of materialism and empty illusion, represented most obviously by the symbolism of the green light outside of Daisy's house, Daisy herself and Gatsby. Also the message of moral judgement is strong, which is symbolised by the eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg, reminding Nick, and perhaps the reader, not to criticise.

What I do find interesting about this book is how the author's background appears to have influenced it. I read about F Scott Fitzgerald after finishing the story, and discovered that, like Gatsby, he did not finish his education but enlisted in the army, when he met and fell in love with a young woman, Zelda. She would not marry Fitzgerald until he could prove himself a success. He then became a literary sensation and they began a decadent lifestyle. Meanwhile Zelda suffered a nervous breakdown and Fitgerald began drinking too much, as the roaring twenties turned into The Great Depression. Much of this is clearly paralleled in the story and had I known about it beforehand, I might have been more interested.