Buddy Reading: The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald

I thought the guidelines for our Phantom of the Opera group read were reasonable, so maybe we should follow those again.

Starting on Thursday (July 30), everyone who wants to join in should read two chapters a night of The Great Gatsby. We'll have a daily discussion the next day, so our first discussion would be this Friday. If you can't log in and participate for whatever reason, or perhaps two chapters a night doesn't work for you, it isn't a big deal. Just try to stay generally around where everybody else is reading.

Does this work for everyone? If not, go ahead and ask for changes. If so, let's get started!

So, has anyone read The Great Gatsby before? If you have, what did you think of it?

Also, has anyone read anything by F. Scott Fitzgerald before? I've read The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and that was great, so I'm excited to see if TGG is just as good or better.

I read Gatsby at school, years ago. Then I reread it for my own students. Other than that, I have read Benjamin Button, which I liked a lot better. It seems to me that I had to grow a little older to appreciate Gatsby in its full extent, with all the emotions and associations in the text. Around age 18, I was simply unable to do that, since my language skills naturally were a lot more limited back then. I felt that the story was so entirely beyond my everyday life that I couldn't sympathise with the characters. These days, it's different. I've learned to appreciate the language in its own right, and Gatsby certainly is very poetic.

Ooooh. He wrote The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? Interesting. I saw the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would love to participate, but I'm too busy. Oh well, maybe some other time.

Nolofinwe wrote:

Ooooh. He wrote The Curious Case of Benjamin Button? Interesting. I saw the movie, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I would love to participate, but I'm too busy. Oh well, maybe some other time.

That's okay. Next time, maybe.

So, what did everybody think of the first two chapters and the characters?

I read ahead a bit, but here's what I thought of the first two chapters:

I like the book a lot so far. The first few pages seemed slow, and I wasn't sure if it would get better. It got good fast, though. I think Nick is such a sweetheart. Hate Tom with a passion. In fact, I don't like any of the crowd that got drunk at Myrtle's apartment. Daisy seems nice, and I feel sorry for her, but she doesn't strike me as being all too bright. I like Jordan better.

I enjoy Fitzgerald's writing. Wasn't sure if I would, but I do.

I can't stand both Tom and Myrtle. If it's such a pain being married to a person you dislike, end the marriage. Don't cheat on your spouse.
Daisy, though, seems okay. I don't think that she isn't smart; she's just stuck with a husband who doesn't love her. I suppose that makes her seem distant.

Don't you just love how flippantly they discuss her daughter?

The thing is, Daisy knows all about what Tom has been doing. I cannot understand why she won't leave him.

Don't forget that we are talking about the 1920s, so divorce usually was not an option. Besides, Daisy is the type of girl who would swoon about any "bad boy".

Daisy is completely dumb. She is one of those stupid, careless characters that drive me crazy. I don't know how you can even exist being so gullible and foolish. Jordan is much better in that respect, but she is also stupid in the sense that she throws her life away by drinking and shagging half the neighbourhood.

Nick appears depressed most of the time. I really wonder if Fitzgerald wanted to portray him as mildly depressive. On the surface, he appears like a normal guy, but if you look behind the facade, you are suddenly confronted with a pessimist. Anyone agree with this perception?

I see what you mean about Nick. I have yet to see a scene in which he is truly cheerful. He doesn't have many friends, either. I feel bad for him.

I was at the library yesterday, but the Great Gatsby was on loan. I'd love to join the next one, hopefully.

Louisa Kouzuki wrote:

I was at the library yesterday, but the Great Gatsby was on loan. I'd love to join the next one, hopefully.

You know, maybe we could do one for each season of the year. What do you guys think?

Allison wrote:

I see what you mean about Nick. I have yet to see a scene in which he is truly cheerful. He doesn't have many friends, either. I feel bad for him.

I haven't read more than the first two chapters yet (I'll get to the rest later tonight), but so far I don't see Nick as a pessimist. He just seems passive, more like a backdrop to the story than anything.

How far is everybody in the book? I had to finish early so we could return it to the library, so I won't share my thoughts until I know I'm not spoiling anything for anyone.

Allison wrote:

How far is everybody in the book? I had to finish early so we could return it to the library, so I won't share my thoughts until I know I'm not spoiling anything for anyone.

I should be finished by tomorrow night, so after that spoilers are okay. I think Laura is also reading, but it's a reread for her.

Just rereading and analysing the scene with Meyer Wolfsheim. I find it fascinating how Fitzgerald uses this character (and the entire scene, for that matter) to illustrate the obscure personality of Gatsby by symbols and indirect comparisons.

Are you referring to the restaurant scene or the one with Nick and Meyer towards the end of the book?

Nicholle wrote:

Are you referring to the restaurant scene or the one with Nick and Meyer towards the end of the book?

Both, in a way. I find it interesting how he mirrors Gatsby - we know he is in business somehow, but very little about his personal background. He seems to be successful, but how exactly remains in the dark. In a way, he is the image of Gatsby as he might appear if he was not so handsome and charismatic.

Laura wrote:

Nicholle wrote:

Are you referring to the restaurant scene or the one with Nick and Meyer towards the end of the book?

Both, in a way. I find it interesting how he mirrors Gatsby - we know he is in business somehow, but very little about his personal background. He seems to be successful, but how exactly remains in the dark. In a way, he is the image of Gatsby as he might appear if he was not so handsome and charismatic.

Meyer has been corrupt for so long, and probably started sooner, while Gatsby just fell into the business. I suppose that's why Gatsby hides it, and Meyer is more obvious about it, unintentionally or not.

But yes, that is interesting. Good insight.

So, where are you guys? Any new insights to discuss?