The Great Gatsby

di F. Scott Fitzgerald

eBook

lingua English

Pubblicato il 24 Settembre 1925 da feedbooks.

(10 recensioni)

This work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70.

In 1922, F. Scott Fitzgerald announced his decision to write "something new--something extraordinary and beautiful and simple + intricately patterned." That extraordinary, beautiful, intricately patterned, and above all, simple novel became The Great Gatsby, arguably Fitzgerald's finest work and certainly the book for which he is best known. A portrait of the Jazz Age in all of its decadence and excess, Gatsby captured the spirit of the author's generation and earned itself a permanent place in American mythology. Self-made, self-invented millionaire Jay Gatsby embodies some of Fitzgerald's--and his country's--most abiding obsessions: money, ambition, greed, and the promise of new beginnings. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgiastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter--tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning--" Gatsby's rise to …

This work is available for countries where copyright is Life+70.

It's also a love story, of sorts, the narrative of Gatsby's quixotic passion for Daisy Buchanan. The pair meet five years before the novel begins, when Daisy is a legendary young Louisville beauty and Gatsby an impoverished officer. They fall in love, but while Gatsby serves overseas, Daisy marries the brutal, bullying, but extremely rich Tom Buchanan. After the war, Gatsby devotes himself blindly to the pursuit of wealth by whatever means--and to the pursuit of Daisy, which amounts to the same thing. "Her voice is full of money," Gatsby says admiringly, in one of the novel's more famous descriptions. His millions made, Gatsby buys a mansion across Long Island Sound from Daisy's patrician East Egg address, throws lavish parties, and waits for her to appear. When she does, events unfold with all the tragic inevitability of a Greek drama, with detached, cynical neighbor Nick Carraway acting as chorus throughout. Spare, elegantly plotted, and written in crystalline prose, The Great Gatsby is as perfectly satisfying as the best kind of poem. Source: www.feedbooks.com/book/5543/the-great-gatsby

47 edizioni

Henry ha recensito The Great Gatsby di F. Scott Fitzgerald

So Happy To Experience It Again!

5 stelle

I was (like many) forced to read The Great Gatsby in high school, though I wish I hadn't as I was incapable of truly appreciating it at the time.

As others have mentioned, Fitzgerald's prose is unbelievable. In just a few words he can paint vivid imagery in your mind with layers of depth and analysis to accompany the emotions. The story and characters are beautifully written with a natural complexity that avoids the cliche 'good guys' & 'bad guys' we typically experience.

Just from my perspective alone, I found many themes and interpretations to the story which resonated with me, just to name a few:

Clinging to the past and trying to repeat history expecting a different outcome. Recently this has tied nicely into my romantic life, where I've been noticing some repetition compulsion.
Nick's character in general was someone I found myself heavily relating to, as I feel …

I was (like many) forced to read The Great Gatsby in high school, though I wish I hadn't as I was incapable of truly appreciating it at the time.

Just from my perspective alone, I found many themes and interpretations to the story which resonated with me, just to name a few:

Clinging to the past and trying to repeat history expecting a different outcome. Recently this has tied nicely into my romantic life, where I've been noticing some repetition compulsion.
Nick's character in general was someone I found myself heavily relating to, as I feel I tend to be the listening ear for the many people around me, which puts me in the center of some complicated situations. Many of his thoughts and reservations he keeps to himself about people around him reminds me of how I likewise internalize my judgements towards others but am able and willing to keep the peace. Even with complete strangers it's not uncommon for me to hear 'wow I'm not sure why I shared so much with you'—it's an interesting phenomenon!
Obviously the more commonly discussed themes of Fitzgerald's criticisms of the American Dream
Gatsby (I believe by design) is somewhat of an inspiration—at least to me. Despite being deeply flawed in core areas, I think he's overall an admirable character who is an honest victim of unfortunate circumstances.

And those are just the themes that resonated with me! There are a billion different things to take from this book, and I feel it's probably worth re-reading every few years as I'm sure there's more to get from it as we develop in life and stumble on different issues that resonate with us.

Watching the 2013 movie after finishing the book, I'm a fan.

Baylee ha recensito Il grande Gatsby di F. Scott Fitzgerald

Il grande Gatsby

5 stelle

Questo è un romanzo su un sogno che chiunque abbia vissuto abbastanza da "sapere come va il mondo" definirebbe assurdo. Folle. Fanciullesco. Qualunque persona di questo tipo avrebbe dissuaso un amico dal credere in quel sogno.

Eppure è difficile resistere al fascino di questo sogno. Perché? Perché ha la forza dei sogni dell'adolescenza, quando si è invincibili di fronte al mondo. Quando si ha la forza e l'indeterminatezza di essere qualunque cosa.

E qual è questo sogno? Cosa vuole Jay Gatsby? Egli vuole sposare la donna che ama, Daisy, e per farlo lui, povero soldato di umili origini, deve rendersi degno di lei agli occhi del mondo. Come? Diventando ricco, ma così ricco da non poter essere ignorato.

Ebbene, Gatsby ci riesce. Ma Daisy, desiderosa di mantenere costante il suo livello di benessere, si è già sposata con il rampollo di una ricca famiglia, Tom Buchanan. Ricco quanto rozzo, Tom …

Ebbene, Gatsby ci riesce. Ma Daisy, desiderosa di mantenere costante il suo livello di benessere, si è già sposata con il rampollo di una ricca famiglia, Tom Buchanan. Ricco quanto rozzo, Tom condivide con molti - forse tutti - dei suoi pari la convinzione che gli arricchiti siano feccia inferiore, incapaci della loro specchiata moralità.

Ma la moralità di Tom non emerge mai dal romanzo. Mai. Tom, come Daisy d'altro canto, è terribilmente superficiale. Essere da sempre stati abituati a schioccare le dita e ad ottenere quello che volevano li ha resi incapaci di dare il giusto valore a cose e persone.

E questo abisso tra il sogno di Gatsby e la superficialità di Daisy annienterà il primo e salverà la seconda. E l'ordine - sbagliato, corrotto, ma pur sempre ordine - del mondo sarà preservato. Gatsby sapeva che il denaro non ha valore. E' ciò che possiamo comprare con il denaro a possedere il valore. E questo Daisy, donna in cerca di stabilità, e Tom, uomo fiero delle sue origini, non l'hanno mai capito.