F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby: A Literary Reference

by Matthew J. Bruccoli (Editor)

The “colossal affair” that is Jay Gatsby’s mansion, Owl Eyes, Wolfsheim and his “gonnegtions,” West Egg, East Egg, the valley of ashes, Jordan Baker, and Daisy Fay—they belong to all time as does the American classic in which they appear. But a classic belongs to its own time, too, and this meticulously compiled, handsomely designed and generously illustrated volume documents the social reality out of which The Great Gatsby grew and the cultural milieu in which F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote. It thus identifies for contemporary readers the crazes and events, the celebrities and the criminals, the music and dances and books, that the novel’s first readers in 1925 would have immediately recognized. This invaluable companion to The Great Gatsby also examines—and illustrates with facsimiles of pages from Fitzgerald’s handwritten drafts and revised typescripts—the arduous process of composition that ultimately produced the book hailed by critic Gilbert Seldes as “vivid and glittering and entertaining.” Reviews and promotions as well as correspondence and comment from such literary figures as Edmund Wilson, Ernest Hemingway, Edith Wharton, and H. L. Mencken illuminate Gatsby’s mostly favorable critical reception. Still, in the wake of the 1940s’ Fitzgerald revival, as this volume’s final chapter on the enduring reputation of The Great Gatsby shows, the novel has fulfilled Fitzgerald’s boast that he wrote for “the youth of his own generation, the critics of the next, and the schoolmasters ever afterward,” as well as the moviemakers, play producers, choreographers, and composers. And all students of Fitzgerald and general readers will find new insights into what makes Gatsby great in this generously illustrated, engaging reference book’s every chapter.

Genres: Fiction

336 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Matthew Joseph Bruccoli was an American professor of English at the University of South Carolina. He was the preeminent expert on F. Scott Fitzgerald. He also wrote about writers such as Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe and John O'Hara, and was editor of the 'Dictionary of Literary Biography'.

Bruccoli's interest in Fitzgerald began in 1947 when he heard a radio broadcast of Fitzgerald's short story 'The Diamond as Big as the Ritz'. That week he tracked down a copy of 'The Great Gatsby', "and I have been reading it ever since," he told interviewers. Bruccoli graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1949, and studied at Cornell University where one of his professors was Vladimir Nabokov and at Yale University where he was a founder member of the fledgling Manuscript Society, graduating in 1953. He was awarded a master's degree and doctorate from the University of Virginia in 1960. Bruccoli, who also taught at the University of Virginia and the Ohio State University, spent nearly four decades teaching at the University of South Carolina. He lived in Columbia, South Carolina, where, according to his New York Times obituary, he "cut a dash on campus, instantly recognizable by his vintage red Mercedes convertible, Brooks Brothers suits, Groucho mustache and bristling crew cut that dated to his Yale days. His untamed Bronx accent also set him apart" (Grimes).

Over the course of his career, he authored over 50 books on F. Scott Fitzgerald and other literary figures. His 1981 biography of Fitzgerald, Some 'Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald', is considered the standard Fitzgerald biography. He has edited many of Fitzgerald's works, from 'This Side of Paradise' to Fitzgerald's unfinished final novel, 'The Love of the Last Tycoon'. Bruccoli has also edited Scott's wife Zelda Fitzgerald's only novel 'Save Me the Waltz'.

While studying Fitzgerald, Bruccoli and his wife Arlyn began to collect all manner of Fitzgerald memorabilia. Bruccoli owned the artist's copy of Celestial Eyes, the cover art by Francis Cugat which appeared on the first edition, and most modern editions, of The Great Gatsby. In 1969, Bruccoli befriended F. Scott and Zelda's daughter Frances "Scottie" Fitzgerald. In 1976, Bruccoli and the Fitzgeralds' daughter Scottie (as Scottie Fitzgerald Smith) published The Romantic Egoists, from the scrapbooks that F. Scott and Zelda had maintained throughout their lives of photographs and book reviews. Later in life Bruccoli and his wife donated their collection to the Thomas Cooper Library at USC. The collection is valued at nearly $2 million.

Bruccoli was general editor of the 'Pittsburgh Series in Bibliography', published by the University of Pittsburgh Press. As part of this series, he produced 'F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Descriptive Bibliography' and, with Richard Layman, 'Ring W. Lardner: A Descriptive Bibliography' (1976). A working draft of the Lardner book was prepared in the summer of 1973 by Bruccoli.

Along with Richard Layman, a Dashiell Hammett scholar and former graduate assistant, and businessman C. E. Frazer Clark, Jr., Bruccoli launched the 'Dictionary of Literary Biography'. The 400-volume reference work contains biographies of more than 12,000 literary figures from antiquity to modern times.

Bruccoli continued working at the University of South Carolina until being diagnosed with a brain tumor, and died June 4, 2008.

Reviews

[Lisa of Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Treasure For Fans of The Great Gatsby

This book is divided into four main sections:
1) Backgrounds of The Great Gatsby
2) Writing The Great Gatsby
3) The Great Gatsby: Reception 1925-1926
4) Reputation of The Great Gatsby

Matthew Bruccoli is a renown Fitzgerald scholar, often considered The Fitzgerald Scholar. The amount of time and dedication to put this collection together is unfathomable.

This book also contains a feast of pictures, and it reveals the real-life people who inspired the famous characters in The Great Gatsby. The book also contains the doubts Fitzgerald had about The Great Gatsby and insight into his writing process (including outlines, literary inspirations, and correspondence between Fitzgerald and his editor Maxwell Perkins).

Would I read this book again cover-to-cover?

No.

Some sections of the book are stronger than others. Section Four was particularly sleep-inducing, primarily consisting of banal bloviating. Additionally, it covered derivative works such as the movies, ballet, and opera (which were of no interest to me).

The Green Light at the End of the Dock (How much I spent):
Softcover Text – $16.59 on Pango

2025 Reading Schedule
Jan A Town Like Alice
Feb Birdsong
Mar Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
Apr War and Peace
May The Woman in White
Jun Atonement
Jul The Shadow of the Wind
Aug Jude the Obscure
Sep Ulysses
Oct Vanity Fair
Nov A Fine Balance
Dec Germinal

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[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good history of The Great Gatsby and its legacy.

- Fitzgerald's manuscript pages and proofs
- reviews from 1925
- correspondence between Fitzgerald and editor Maxwell Perkins
- letters of admiration from other writers
- reviews of the 3 The Great Gatsby movies
- critical essays from the 1940s and later
- lots of pictures of Gatsby's social affects: movie posters; programs for plays, ballets, and operas; advertising for the 1974 movie; advertising for clothing, etc., tied in to the 1974 movie; a Peanuts comic strip; etc.
- and lots more!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful compendium of everything "Gatsby" -- hand-written pages by Fitzgerald, contemporary reviews, pages from Fitzgerald's scrapbooks, photos of Long Island mansions, critical essays, a list of foreign editions ("Suur Gatsby" in Estonian), critiques of the Gatsby movies, even maps of the route from East Egg into Manhattan. One of those books you drop in and out of, finding something to catch your interest on almost every page. And it's sure to send you back, once again, to "Gatsby" itself.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some people think this is the greatest novel of the 20th century or maybe of all times. What can I say other than it is one of the best I've read.

[Nathaniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

More thorough than I was expecting, but not as big on the actual content of the novel as I'd hoped.