when F. Scott Fitzgerald I wrote it “Great Gatsby” At the pinnacle of roaring in his twenties, he would not have noticed that the book would appear as one of the top candidates for “great American novels.”
In fact, when Fitzgerald, of St. Paul, Minnesota, whose debut novel, Paradise of Paradise, drove him into a national celebrity at the age of 24, passed away at a young age of 44, the book was already at risk of becoming obscure.
One hundred years after the book’s first publication on April 10, 1925, it endures as one of the most important stories in the country of American hubrism, modern longing and class consciousness. And a clear eye assessment of the achievement potential of American dreams remains sharp with every passing decade.
Fitzgerald’s book tells the story of Nick Caraway, a staple food in high school literature classes and the jazz-era lifestyle of Long Island’s Bon Vivant, particularly the effects of Mutri Millionile Jay Gutsby, and Nick Caraway.
Like Caraway, Gatsby trekked to the East Coast in the Midwest and Midwest to create his own name. It is Caraway’s cousin Daisy Buchanan who serves as a catalyst for Gatsby’s downfall and ultimately for Caraway’s own disillusionment. Meanwhile, iconic green light beckons from afar.
When the book first came out, reviews were largely positive, but not unanimous. Originally wanted to title the book “Trimalchio in West Egg,” Fitzgerald was persuaded to go to a title he thought was much more common, and after seeing the book hanging out commercially, he sold under 25,000 copies on his first push.
He completed one more novel in his life. Tender Is The Night in 1934, Fitzgerald’s own marriage, thinly covered Roman marriage details mutual offspring with the social Zelda Sale and mutual descent into alcoholism and mental illness. Fitzgerald’s early death from a heart attack may have been driven by years of alcohol abuse. Ironically, he calmed down just before the heart event.
It is likely after his death that Figgard’s literary reputation began if “The Great Gatsby” never achieved the level of respect that the author enjoys during his own life.
When the contemporary library asked authors, historians, critics and publishers on the eve of Y2K to rank their picks for the world’s best novels of the 20th century, it was “great Gatsby” than all other US candidates near the top of the poll. (The novel landed in second place, reserved by Irish author James Joyce’s “Ulysses” and “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.”)
The novel has since begun adapting multiple films, transposed to the stage, and has been subject to a series of rethinks, remixes and mashups since entering the public domain in 2021. It’s even cleared in the space that clears itself as a modern meme in the form of an animated .gif that portrays Gatsby in Buzz Ruhrman’s 2013 film adaptation.
Host of Gatsby’s 100th anniversary event planned in New York, Minnesota
To celebrate the novel’s 100th anniversary, a host of an event with the theme of “Gatsby” is planned. In New York, the Empire State Building announced plans to shine a light on the green on Thursday, nodding to the novel’s iconic green light at the end of Tom and Daisy’s dock.
There will also be a rough “Roaring 20s” party scheduled for the Empire Steak House in New York, a gorgeous Fitzgerald-era opera house. Described as “the country’s most luxurious celebration,” the event features live jazz, period dance and speeches from officials at the New York Public Library.
In St. Paul’s Fitzgerald’s hometown, there is a new exhibition of the author’s life and era at the Minnesota History Center, as well as a variety of, fewer events that lean towards a party-friendly prohibited era setting.
If you were able to pass through high school without being assigned to read, there are plenty of live readings for books scheduled for this month, including the St. Paul’s Girl Family Library.
