The Great Gatsby
discussion
worst book ever!
I feel sorry for those of you who hated it. Not the best book ever but if you allow yourself to embrace the era you can really enjoy this book.
Well, everyone is entitled to their own opinions, the world would be boring if everyone liked the same things :) However, my daughter read it for English Lit, & she enjoyed it. She was amazed at how careless the 20's seemed to be as an era, & I read it after she did, having never read it in school. My English teachers ran to Greek tragedies(Antigone, Oedipus), Shakespeare(Romeo & Juliet), & American Lit like The Crucible, The Scarlet Letter, & Poe. I went into it from my daughter's point of view, which was positive, & I actually enjoyed it. Yes, the characters were shallow people with few redeeming qualities, but it is very definitely true to the time they lived, & haven't we all as humans made mistakes in relationships? Wanted someone we knew we couldn't have? I enjoyed it :)
I love you Wendy! I'm also amazed at people who don't seem able to appreciate great literature.Re Lisa's comment about the "carelessness" of the 20s, weren't the 2000s just like them? Look at the greed of Wall st, people spending money they didn't have, problems with alcohol, a "don't care" attitude to life, anyone altruistic being laughed at and so the list goes on. Gatsby could be said to be a fable for our time. A lot of people on Goodreads seem to think a book should be treated with the utmost caution if it's at all "historical", but some of the best lit is old (like me)!
the worst book I have ever read is "Moo" by Jane Smiley- it is awful- give it a try and see if you like it :)
Sharon wrote: "I feel sorry for those of you who hated it. Not the best book ever but if you allow yourself to embrace the era you can really enjoy this book."No need to feel sorry for us. Its just a matter of taste. I've been re-reading a lot of the classics that were assigned during my school days; so I could have a chance to just enjoy the work instead of having one of my english instructors suck all of the fun out of it. Some are now great favorites of mine. Gatsby, not so much. I thought it was boring then, and I still do. I found myself asking, "Why is this still in print?"
I think "Moo" is a satire about academics, is it not?
I threw it across the room when I finished it.
I love anything dickins, I love all of Twain, I can read and reread Frost, I can hang on edge thanks to Christie or King.... but Fitzgerald.... leaves me me dribbling and drooling... The book has no value, none at all.
I cannot agree. Perhaps if you read the short stories, you'll start to see Fitzgerald's genius.
Karen wrote: "I thought it was boring then, and I still do..."A lot is happening in that story, though. I have problems with what seems to me to be Fitzgerald's VERY confused moral focus -- but the affairs, the obsessions, the criminal activities, the killings.... you found all that boring?
A lot is happening in that story, though. I have problems with what seems to me to be Fitzgerald's VERY confused moral focus -- but ..."I think it was Fitzgerald's style; but yes, I found it all rather deadly dull. I'm more of a lyrical language kinda gal.
Lena wrote: "It amazes me that people will give a book 1 star because they don't like the characters. What about all the other great elements? If you're looking for a straightforward, fast-paced action book, wh..."I agree with you .
excuse me,...this is one of the best books ever written
I've heard that Fitzgerald put every chapter through something like twenty drafts
Yes, I hated the characters. But I was also very much put off by the writing style. I am totally befuddled by the ridiculous scene about the billboard, in which Fitzgerald unsuccessfully reaches for some very profound truths, but ends up with a quagmire of gobblegook as his philosophic ruminations are almost as shallow as his characters. That`s why the book fails for me-shallow characters, shallow author.
Fitzgerald's characters ARE shallow. That's his whole point. You're supposed to feel disappointed and disillusioned by them. Daisy and Gatsby basically take a love story and smash it up and make it ridiculous. They're SUPPOSED to be shallow to point out how American materialism can take anything - even love - and make it superficial.
Laura-lou wrote: "does anyone agree with me that this is the worst and most boring book of all time?"Hyperbole much? In answer to your question, no, I don't think you will find many people that will agree with you. Did you read 'The Scarlet Letter' or 'Madame Bovary'? Now those are terrible.
Thank you Fiona!! Geoffrey, who is profound then??!!
I loved this book!! I cried in the end :(
I disagree on this one. Worst book ever is Heart of Darkness. I read The Great Gatsby in college and I loved it. It was one of the few books I enjoyed from my honors classes. It was interesting and had a decent plot.
Tiffany wrote: "I disagree on this one. Worst book ever is Heart of Darkness. I read The Great Gatsby in college and I loved it. It was one of the few books I enjoyed from my honors classes. It was interesting and..."I don't think I've read the worst book ever, yet. Every time I think I have it I come across an even worse one. Heart of Darkness was pretty bad though. So was Lord Jim (great movie)
I loved it. I still feel the urge to read it again, which I no doubt will this summer. What's weird to me are the reasons some people indicate for hating it; because they hate the characters? I'm not sure, but I don't think they're meant to be liked; their shallowness corresponds with their moral bankruptcy and their drowning in a world revolving around pleasure and immediate satisfaction, unable to cope when reality hits and they must face the consequences of their thoughtless quenching of their hedonic thirst. In my opinion anyway.
I also think plenty happens in the book, maybe not as clear-cut and to the point as in some other books. I guess, if you want a straight-forward kind of book, with an indisputable protagonist, overcoming an adversity, etc., you're going to hate this book. However, if you're not deterred by the need for a little analysis, reading between the lines and are capable of even the least of reflection on what you've read, you might just agree with a lot of literary critics in the opinion that this is one of the classics for a reason.
I guess from here on, I can draw a parallel between the hedonic values and needs we see in Tom, Daisy, Gatsby and a modern need of instant gratification I percieve in a lot of films and books. We're happy to stick to a tried formula, a recipe for storytelling, and repeat it with slight variations; allowing us to indulge ourselves in reading and watching with minimal effort, having most everything spelled out for us. But of course, then I run the risk of being knocked off of my high horse, so I won't.
Frank wrote: "I loved it. I still feel the urge to read it again, which I no doubt will this summer. What's weird to me are the reasons some people indicate for hating it; because they hate the characters? I'm ..."
I agree with you 100% :)
"This is one of the greatest books ever. F. Scott Fitzgerald got so much money and fame from this novel."And Kim Kardashian is making millions from her TV show but we don't call her an incredible artist, do we?
This book is okay. Not great, not bad, just okay.
Robyn Smith Thank you Fiona!! Geoffrey, who is profound then??!! Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Melville, Balzac, Golding, Camus, Steinbeck, Hemingway.....just to name a few.
Fitzgerald is just a lightweight in comparison. Good stylist, shallow thinker.
The worst book ever is any book written by Paulo Coelho. Please stop him from writing books already.
Not the worst, but one that is very overrated. I read it 20 years ago and while I found it a quick read, I remember very little about it. I do remember thinking it was not all that.
Rachel wrote: "Not the worst, but one that is very overrated. I read it 20 years ago and while I found it a quick read, I remember very little about it. I do remember thinking it was not all that."I have to agree with you. I just read it for the first time a couple of weeks ago. I liked it and it is the only work of Fitzgerald's that I've read, but it is over rated.
I read the first 10 posts or so before my eyes glazed over from reading so many variations of "the characters are flat" or "unlikeable." These are both characteristics of *satire*, which Gatsby surely is. Though I didn't like the characters, I did find myself very much *interested* in what would happen to Gatsby, or as he was in my thoughts, The-Greedy-Scrooge-Type-Who-Seems-To-Be-On-Quite-A-Run. It was cathartic to see that such a vapid, decadent, and self-centered man did get his comeuppance, in the form of a sparsely attended funeral service. I doubt this catharsis would've been present had it not been for Fitzgerald's knack for painting such a fine embodiment of greed, esp. of the American variety. So the contemptible characters were necessary, in this regard.The foregoing paragraph notwithstanding, it's perfectly reasonable to dislike The Great Gatsby, but on different grounds than what I've seen cited here. I.e., the fact that the Great Gatsby was the blueprint for most suburban satires (indeed a genre that the contemporary market is saturated with); innovators of genres, of course, are understandably not much fun to read when their contemporaries write so much more topically and, of course, with more hindsight.
I was not forced to read the book, perhaps that is the problem with most of the comments here, if you are forced to read and study a book, there is a good chance you will end up hating it, i read it by choice, and i thoroughly enjoyed the shere decadence and extravagance pure fantasy and wonderful characters love em or hate em. Perhaps also it is appreciated more by a different age group.
Lizzie wrote: "I was not forced to read the book, perhaps that is the problem with most of the comments here, if you are forced to read and study a book, there is a good chance you will end up hating it, i read i..."You *enjoyed* the "sheer decadence and extravagance"? The whole book was an indictment of that! That you recognize the "pure fantasy" of Gatbsy, and "enjoy" that is disconcerting, to say the least. Please tell me I've got you pegged wrong.
Excellent study of "Old Wealth" vs "The New Rich" and even in their straying they were bound together.
Just finished reading an excellent murder mystery with the detective character V.I. Warshawski. First rate novel on par with P.D. James and Eric Ambler. The theme of the mystery was very similar to THE GREAT GATSBY but one in which the principal character, born to a lower middle class family and overachieved to a law career turned private dick, is highly resentful of her extremely wealthy and power clients, only by the story`s end, to come to the realization despite their uncanny knack for getting what they want, also get much more grief from their overindulgence.Towards the end of the book, the author alludes to the conversation between Hemingway and Fitzgerald in which the latter comments that the rich are so much different from the rest of society to which the more astute Hemingway say with some acidity, Yes, they have more money.
Geoffrey wrote: "Just finished reading an excellent murder mystery with the detective character V.I. Warshawski. First rate novel on par with P.D. James and Eric Ambler. The theme of the mystery was very similar to..."I'll have to check this book out. Does it endorse Hemingway's view or Fitzgerald's?
Geoffrey wrote: "Just finished reading an excellent murder mystery with the detective character V.I. Warshawski. First rate novel on par with P.D. James and Eric Ambler. The theme of the mystery was very similar to..."What is the title of the book? Sounds like something I might enjoy.
Norman wrote: "To love The Great Gatsby, you need to appreciate Fitzgerald's craft. His use of language is amazing when you stop to consider all shades of meaning that his descriptions (especially of character) ..."I'd have to agree on what you said. It's not the plot as much as the language usage that drew me to this book. Fitzgerald is a true artist when it comes to the way he writes.
To everyone else who is hesitant to read this book, if you do, you have to think of the purpose of every single word, and think of its meaning. They're not there just to confuse you. There's a great deal of figurative language that should not be ignored in order to appreciate the book.
I read it in high school and didn't like it. Among the books I've read it was probably one of my least favorite. The characters didn't resonate with me, and the plot bored me. It's not that I think he's a bad writer, however. This book just didn't personally appeal to me.
Laura-lou wrote: "does anyone agree with me that this is the worst and most boring book of all time?"it seems i am one of the few in this discussion who didn't have to read this in high school
i didn't think it was awful at all. Forgettable? maybe.
The symbolism is so obvious as to constitute browbeating. That is irritating and boring.
Worst book ever? I didn't love it, but it was great for discussion. If you get more classics, and classic "wanna be" literature, under your belt you'll find many more in competition for what you can argue to be "worst book ever". I'm still reeling over the person who said Jane Eyre was the worst book ever. I label it as one of my all time favorites. Goes to show you that people have a wide variety of literary taste. I'll stir somebody up with my comment that Love in a Time of Cholera is the worst book ever...I am still grouching about the time wasted plugging through that muck.
They're making a remake of the movie and leonardo dicaprio is gatsby and tobey maguire is nick !
VI Warshawski÷s book is BLACKLIST.The symbolism in the Worst Gatsby may be overbearing but in that horrible passage about the billboard it is simply befuddled literary gobblydegook, despite its apparent extensive author editing.It÷s obvious Fitzgerald himself loved that passage, he puts so much of nothing in it.
Barbara wrote: "Worst book ever? I didn't love it, but it was great for discussion. If you get more classics, and classic "wanna be" literature, under your belt you'll find many more in competition for what you ca..."I didn't like Love in the Time of Cholera either. I thought Jane Eyre was alright, but not something to read more than once. Really loved Wuthering Heights.
I need to read Wuthering Heights again...it's been a long time and I remember really loving it... thanks for the reminder!
I read The Great Gatsby in my English Honors class. I thought that was going to be boring, but there was something about it that made me keep reading. I actually enjoyed it, maybe it had something to do with the kids in my class, or maybe it was just broadening my horizons.
Yes, it's a great American novel. But you must be old enough to understand the point of it. If you read it in high school or college, then odds are that you are not seeing the bigger picture. Fitzgerald is one of America's great novelists and "Gatsby" says more about the tragedy of being American that almost any novel written by an American that I can imagine. Sorry if you can't recognize genius when you read it.
Joe wrote: "One of the top five worst books I've suffered through for the sake of "being literate". Next to Ulysses, it is the second most overrated. "Dear Joe,
"Ulysses" is a work of pure literary genius. Do you understand its intimate literary connection to Homer's "Odyssey"? To you understand the variations in literary styles of each chapter? Do you comprehend the breakthrough that stream of consciousness brought to the 20th century post-modern novel that followed? Do you know that this novel took Joyce 12 years to write? Do you understand how Joyce suffered for his art? Do you understand why first editions in pristine condition are selling for a quarter of a million dollars? "Ulysses" is the greatest literary accomplishment of the 20th century and nothing else even comes close.
Cordially,
David
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To Norman - I read 'Goodbye, Columbus' in the fifth grade which was long before I ever read 'Gatsby' so now I'm going to have to go back and read it for comparison.