Thursday 11 July 2013

'The Great Gatsby' - A Book Review

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-great-gatsby-trailer-2012-12
What is The Great Gatsby about?

The Great Gatsby is a novel set during the 1920s. It portrays the behaviour and lifestyle of wealthy Americans during the Jazz Age. The main characters are followed as they interact with each other and make choices, not always for the best. The Great Gatsby has also been associated with the concept of the American Dream. It is interpreted by some as a fictional work which carries a message for real people about the risks of over-indulgence and following one's ambitions.

Who wrote The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. Fitzgerald coined the term Jazz Age and created numerous novels and short stories. Fitzgerald is known for using his fictional works to comment or society and human behaviour in 1920s America.

Where is The Great Gatsby set?

The Great Gatsby is set in various fictional locations in and around Long Island. Long Island itself and some other locations mentioned in The Great Gatsby are in fact real places. However, place-names such as West Egg and East Egg were created by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The Great Gatsby was inspired by Fitzgerald's visits to parties on Long Island's north shore. Realistic elements in Fitzgerald's descriptions of scenery and events in The Great Gatsby may come from the novel's being based upon real experiences.

Who is The Great Gatsby about?

The Great Gatsby is about 1920s inhabitants of the Long Island area. The characters in the novel range from the wealthy social elite to impoverished working class Americans. There may also be criminal undertones in The Great Gatsby, and it has been inferred that Gatsby's wealth was the product of organised crime and possibly bootlegging. The social elements depicted in The Great Gatsby are likely to have been based upon society in 1920s America. In this sense The Great Gatsby is to some extent about American society in the 1920s and the inhabitants of Long Island.

Who are the main characters in The Great Gatsby?

-Nicholas Carraway.
-Jay Gatsby.
-Daisy Buchanan.
-Thomas Buchanan.
-Jordan Baker.
-George B. Wilson.
-Myrtle Wilson.
-Meyer Wolfshiem.

Themes in The Great Gatsby

-Decadence among the social elite.
-The desire to start again and be reborn.
-Politics within society and social groups, cliques.
-'New money' juxtaposed with 'old money'.
-Idealism and false ideals.
-The habits of the wealthy or social elite, overreaching and leading to ruin.
-A negative portrayal of youth as a time of recklessness and mistakes.

Why is The Great Gatsby so good?

Like any great novel, The Great Gatsby's success is due to the literary ability of its author. Fitzgerald creates detailed and fascinating environments for his characters to interact within. The characters themselves are also superbly constructed. Fitzgerald hasn't allowed any of the characters in The Great Gatsby to remain two-dimensional, they each behave in a unique way. As The Great Gatsby is a novel which deals with social life in 1920s America, the inclusion of complex characters is crucial in making it a true classic.

Should you read The Great Gatsby?

This year, The Great Gatsby film was released. I have never seen a film which I did not enjoy more having already read its corresponding book. Therefore, I would strongly advise reading The Great Gatsby before you watch the film.

The Great Gatsby, the film (2013)

This link will direct you to the IMDB page for The Great Gatsby film.


Other articles you might enjoy: What not to do on the tubeWar and Peace book reviewFreelance Writing OnlineThe US gun laws debate, GTA 5

Buy The Great Gatsby on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Great-Gatsby-Wordsworth-Classics/dp/185326041X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373567574&sr=1-1&keywords=the+great+gatsby

Joe Malpas

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