By: Kristina and Sarah. Drafted in Minneapolis on August 12, 2006.
Last week we attended the world premiere stage adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's pinnacle novel, The Great Gatsby, at the new Guthrie-- arguably the Twin Cities' most beloved theater. The play reminded us of our shared intimate relationship with the work. However, as the play progressed, we realized that although each of us consider it one of our favorite books, we didn't remember the story. We were stuck on motif, symbolism, and metaphor. Although we could anticipate and recite "key passages" in our minds, we didn't know what would happen next in the plot.
Our familiarity with the literary devices in The Greaty Gatsby was born in our 11th grade English class. Our teacher, Ms. Sexton, considered it the Great American Novel. We graduated from high school with the understanding that no one should be allowed to graduate high school without having studied the book--and in turn, obviously, loved it.
Once we left F. Scott's home state for our respective coastal collegiate enterprises, we were surprised to learn how many "smart" people have never read The Great Gatsby. For our friends, Last Stand at the Alamo, The Biography of Bruce Springsteen, and Starbucks: A Corporate History seemed to to have been graduation requirements.
Did you read The Great Gatsby? Did you love it? Do you consider it The Great American Novel and F. Scott the 20th century's Shakespeare? If not, what do you think is so good?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
Ouch. Did people really not have to read the Great Gatsby? Everyone should have to go through prep school...
For the record, I read it. And loved it. Because it is great.
I totally know what you mean about forgetting the plot! I had to finally re-read a few years ago because i'd find myself faking the knowledge of the plot in conversation and it was getting shameful. As for loving it, i do, BUT, not without reservation. I think it was important, but i think the writing was a bit sophomoric and heavyhanded. which, yes, i get, he partially did on purpose. but read the part where he's finally telling nick about his real past and daisy and the friggin ladder.. i mean good lord people! thats some sucky sucky writing right there!
I read it in high school, and I did enjoy the sex, the mystery, Nick, the "jazz age" setting, the random coincidences, the quick pace and the portrait of the nouveau riche vs. old money. (I love 1920's period pieces done by PBS after all.) I know that it is a book that has been so widely loved and praised...but
it didn't become much more than an enjoyable read for me because at the time, the actual book wasn't as important as the fact that the teacher who taught it had us do a play/skit form of the Great Gatsby, instead of a paper. To make it "fun". As I was incredibly shy in high school, any sort of random presentation like that really worried me. Therefore, the book became scarier. Somehow my English classes always involved at least one unit including embarassing acting. (My favorite books from 11th grade then became Heart of Darkness, All the King's Men, and As I lay Dying (including a incredibly weird poster I did on the character Dewey Dell.)
Julia, I met you 3 months after this supposedly shy stage in high school... and, unless you totally reinvented yourself at college... I don't buy it.
PS. I love you. For you, "23: What it's like to be Michael Jordan"??
Post a Comment