F. Scott Fitzgerald

I have read some of his short stories, which I remember really loving, but do not remember their content as well (that was 6 years ago). But of course, The Great Gatsby, is a favorite of mine. You know, you start to sympathize with Daisy about halfway through the novel, and in the end, she's just a heartless bitch.

The representation of the American Dream in this book is very interesting too. One thing we talk about in some of my Lit classes is how everybody is trying to write the Great American Novel. And I think that Fitzgerald really achieved that with Gatsby. Even though its short, it touches on what it means to be American in a lot of ways. The appreciation for the self-made man. We sympathize with Gatsby even though he was a criminal, because since we were in elementary school, we are indoctrinated in the idea that to be American is to be free, and a big, big part of that is free trade. This is a book that really celebrates Capitalism. But it also doesn't neglect to show how that can go too far: Daisy and Tom are a prime example of it.

Anyone else?

This reminded me that today is the 30th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. No relation, of couse, since the Edmund was a ship and F was a man. Just thought I'd be a sh*t and hijack your thread. Just kidding.

Welcome!

My favorite Fitzgerald short story is "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" - PBS did an excellent version of it a few years back with Carol Kane as Bernice.

I never read any F. Scott Fitzgerald short stories but maybe I should. I absolutely loved The Great Gatsby on my second reading - the first I wasn's so sure. You're right though - he really does capture so clearly a version of the American Dream. And that era - seems like he really captured that era well. And something about how you got sucked into his characters was very profound - I hated Daisy but was very very ...attached somehow. They're well-rounded.

I would love to take a literature class and be entrenched in reading and discussing lit again - I miss it. I still read quite a bit, but not as much, and I certainly do not undergo the critical reflection that I used to when in class. You get so much more out of a book when you do so, I think.

If you want to get intrenched in analyzing literature, but you dont have time or money for classes, maybe you should start a book club!

I think some of his best short stories are the Basil and Josephine stories. You can find them in a collection called, "Taps at Reveille."

Have you ever read "Tender is the Night?" I think that's my favorite of Fitzgerald's novels. The prose in that novel is Fitzgerald at his romantic best.