The Great Gatsby
In 1922, a young F. Scott Fitzgerald stood on the lawn of his Long Island estate and watched the lights flicker across the water toward East Egg. He had just moved to Great Neck with his wife Zelda after marrying her in New York City earlier that year. The couple lived among newly wealthy neighbors like writer Ring Lardner and comedian Ed Wynn who threw lavish parties every weekend. These gatherings mirrored the fictional soirées hosted by Jay Gatsby in the novel he was beginning to write. Fitzgerald found himself both drawn to and repelled by this world of excess. He admired the rich but resented their moral emptiness. His own background as a Midwesterner from Minnesota made him feel like an outsider despite living among millionaires. This tension between admiration and resentment became central to his writing process. Earlier in life, Fitzgerald had fallen deeply in love with socialite Ginevra King while attending Princeton University at age eighteen. Her upper-class family openly discouraged their courtship because of his lower financial status. Her father reportedly told him that poor boys should not think of marrying rich girls. Rejected by Ginevra's family, Fitzgerald enlisted in the United States Army during World War I hoping to die in battle. While stationed at Camp Sheridan in Montgomery Alabama, he met seventeen-year-old Zelda Sayre. She agreed to marry him only if he first proved himself financially successful. This personal history directly shaped the character of Jay Gatsby who pursued immense wealth to win back his former lover Daisy Buchanan. The real-life parallels between Fitzgerald's life and his fiction were unmistakable yet complex.
Fitzgerald began outlining his third novel in June 1922 after his stage play The Vegetable flopped on Broadway. He wrote magazine stories throughout the winter to pay debts incurred by its production including Winter Dreams which later served as a prototype for Gatsby. By mid-1923 he had written eighteen thousand words before discarding most of it as a false start. Work resumed in earnest in April 1924 when he moved to Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera with his wife. There he submitted a near-final version of the manuscript to editor Maxwell Perkins on October 27. Perkins responded in November stating that Gatsby was too vague as a character and needed clearer explanations about his wealth and business dealings. Fitzgerald revised the text over the following winter while living in Rome. He made extensive changes to chapters six and eight before submitting the final version in February 1925. During this period he also received early sketches for the book's dust jacket art from painter Francis Cugat. These preparatory drawings influenced his writing process even though he likely never saw the finished artwork before publication. Fitzgerald initially titled the work Trimalchio in West Egg but Perkins convinced him to change it to The Great Gatsby because the original title was too obscure for readers. Alternative titles considered included Among Ash Heaps Millionaires On the Road to West Egg Under the Red White and Blue and The Gold-Hatted Gatsby. A month before publication on the 19th of March 1925 Fitzgerald expressed enthusiasm for changing the title again but Perkins advised against it. The novel finally appeared under its famous name on the 10th of April 1925 published by Scribner's. Fitzgerald received an advance of $3,939 in 1923 and another payment of $1,981.25 upon release.
When The Great Gatsby hit shelves on the 10th of April 1925 sales figures remained disappointingly low despite generally favorable reviews from literary critics. By October only fewer than twenty thousand copies had been sold compared to hundreds of thousands for his earlier novels This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned. Fitzgerald attributed poor sales partly to women being the primary audience for novels during that era while Gatsby lacked an admirable female character. His ledger recorded earnings of just two thousand dollars from the book itself. Critics offered mixed assessments with H.L. Mencken calling the plot highly improbable though praising its elegant writing style. Edwin Clark of The New York Times described it as a mystical tale of the Jazz Age while Lillian C. Ford of the Los Angeles Times hailed it as revelatory art. However other reviewers dismissed it as inconsequential or painfully forced including Ruth Snyder who declared editors convinced Fitzgerald was not one of today's great American writers. John McClure insisted the plot seemed raw in construction while Harvey Eagleton predicted this signaled the end of Fitzgerald's artistic success. Dispirited by these responses Fitzgerald believed many critics misunderstood what he intended to achieve. He hoped the novel would sell as many as seventy-five thousand copies but instead fell far short of expectations. With the onset of the Great Depression the work became regarded merely as a nostalgic period piece rather than serious literature. When Fitzgerald died in 1940 at age forty-four he believed himself a failure whose work had been forgotten entirely.
Fitzgerald's friend Edmund Wilson played a crucial role in reviving his posthumous reputation after his death in 1940. Within months of World War II beginning an association called the Council on Books in Wartime distributed free copies of Gatsby to American soldiers overseas. One hundred fifty-five thousand Armed Services Editions reached troops abroad compared to only twenty-five thousand printed by Scribners between 1925 and 1942. This distribution sparked renewed interest among beleaguered soldiers according to reports from the Saturday Evening Post in 1945. By 1944 a full-scale revival had occurred with scholarly articles appearing regularly in periodicals. Professor Arthur Mizener published The Far Side of Paradise three years after Zelda's death in 1948 emphasizing positive critical reception which further influenced public opinion. By 1960 thirty-five years after original publication the book sold one hundred thousand copies annually. In 1974 critics declared it a contender for the title Great American Novel. As early as 2020 sales reached almost thirty million copies worldwide with five hundred thousand additional units sold each year. The novel entered the public domain on the 1st of January 2021 allowing numerous altered reprints to flood markets including e-books selling one hundred eighty-five thousand copies alone in 2013. Today it remains part of assigned curricula in most U.S. high schools despite being listed among the most challenged classics by the American Library Association.
Scholars frequently analyze how Fitzgerald critiques entrenched class disparities through characters like Tom Buchanan who claims racial superiority over others. Tom decries immigration while advocating white supremacy and references fictional books like Goddard's The Rise of the Colored Empires parodying Lothrop Stoddard's actual bestseller from 1920. These texts warned that immigration would alter America's racial composition destroying national identity. Literary theorist Walter Benn Michaels argues the novel reflects historical fears about Southern and Eastern European immigrants challenging Americans' sense of belonging. Gatsby functions as a cipher representing latest America whose unclear ethno-religious identity threatens old-stock Americans. His surname Gatz hints at recent German immigrant roots alongside his father's Lutheran faith excluding them from coveted status. Consequently his socioeconomic ascent becomes threatening not just due to nouveau riche status but because he is perceived as an outsider resisting change. Critics note themes remain enduringly relevant nearly a century later since modern societies still navigate fluctuating socio-economic circumstances alongside entrenched prejudices. Dianne Bechtel contends Fitzgerald plotted the story to illustrate class transcends wealth even when poorer Americans become rich they remain inferior to those with old money. Sarah Churchwell describes it as class warfare in a status-obsessed country refusing to acknowledge its existence publicly.
The character Daisy Buchanan embodies emerging cultural archetypes of flappers who bobbed hair wore short skirts drank alcohol and engaged premaritally in sexual relationships. Despite newfound freedoms women faced continued limitations upon agency within elite social environments depicted by Fitzgerald. Early critics viewed her as monstrous yet later scholars like Leland S. Person Jr asserted she exemplified marginalization becoming target first of Tom's domination then Gatsby's dehumanizing adoration. Her decision to stay married despite feelings for Gatsby stems from security provided by union with Tom Buchanan making her a trophy wife augmenting possessor's success. Questions regarding sexuality have arisen decades ago augmented by biographical details about author himself. During his lifetime rumors dogged Fitzgerald among American expat community in Paris suggesting homosexuality though no proof existed. Biographer Matthew J. Bruccoli noted contemporaries Robert McAlmon and others publicly asserted this while Hemingway avoided him due to such rumors. Zelda herself doubted heterosexuality asserting he was closeted homosexual using homophobic slurs alleging liaison with fellow writer Ernest Hemingway. Such incidents strained marriage at time of novel publication lending credence to interpretations fictional characters gay or bisexual surrogates. In one instance Nick Carraway departs drunken orgy with pale feminine man named Mr McKee finding himself beside bed where McKee sits between sheets clad only underwear prompting analyses emotional attachment Jay Gatsby.
The first stage adaptation opened the 2nd of February 1926 at Ambassador Theatre on Broadway starring James Rennie as Gatsby and Florence Eldridge as Daisy. Directed by George Cukor the play ran until May 22 after one hundred twelve performances before moving to Chicago then traveling cities including Baltimore Philadelphia Detroit St Louis Denver Minneapolis. A brief return engagement began October 4 at Shubert Theater followed road productions elsewhere. In July 2006 Simon Levy wrote new version premiered Guthrie Theater Minneapolis celebrating opening new building. Elevator Repair Service presented full text staging called Gatz Off-Broadway in 2010 receiving high praise from critic Ben Brantley of The New York Times. Film versions include lost silent movie directed Herbert Brenon starring Warner Baxter Lois Wilson William Powell released 1926 reportedly most faithful yet loathed Fitzgeralds who left cinema midway through. Alan Ladd Betty Field Macdonald Carey starred 1949 Elliott Nugent production while Robert Redford Mia Farrow Sam Waterston appeared Jack Clayton's 1974 version. Leonardo DiCaprio Carey Mulligan Tobey Maguire headlined Baz Luhrmann's 2013 film. Television adaptations included NBC episode 1955 CBS Playhouse 90 episode 1958 A&E movie 2000 starring Toby Stephens Mira Sorvino Paul Rudd. Musical productions started Yale Dramatic Association summer 1956 Aubrey Goodman adapted novel lyrics fourteen songs composer Robert E Morgan. Later jazz adaptation Spring 1998 Pavilion Theatre Rhyl Wales Thomas Johnson score emphasized saxophone brass sextet instruments. Broadway tryout the 12th of October 2023 Jeremy Jordan Eva Noblezada starred leading roles concluding November 12 same year. Spring 2024 saw fourth musical Gatsby: An American Myth Florence Welch Thomas Bartlett music lyrics Martyna Majok book premiering American Repertory Theater closing the 3rd of August 2024.
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Common questions
When was The Great Gatsby published?
The Great Gatsby appeared under its famous name on the 10th of April 1925 published by Scribner's. Fitzgerald received an advance of $3,939 in 1923 and another payment of $1,981.25 upon release.
Who wrote The Great Gatsby novel?
F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby after moving to Saint-Raphaël on the French Riviera with his wife in April 1924. He submitted a near-final version of the manuscript to editor Maxwell Perkins on October 27 before making extensive changes over the following winter while living in Rome.
What is the plot summary of The Great Gatsby?
The story follows Jay Gatsby who pursues immense wealth to win back his former lover Daisy Buchanan after being rejected by her upper-class family due to his lower financial status. Tom Buchanan claims racial superiority over others and decries immigration while advocating white supremacy within the narrative framework.
How many copies of The Great Gatsby were sold initially?
By October only fewer than twenty thousand copies had been sold compared to hundreds of thousands for his earlier novels This Side of Paradise and The Beautiful and Damned. Fitzgerald attributed poor sales partly to women being the primary audience for novels during that era while Gatsby lacked an admirable female character.
When did The Great Gatsby enter the public domain?
The novel entered the public domain on the 1st of January 2021 allowing numerous altered reprints to flood markets including e-books selling one hundred eighty-five thousand copies alone in 2013. As early as 2020 sales reached almost thirty million copies worldwide with five hundred thousand additional units sold each year.
Who starred in the first stage adaptation of The Great Gatsby?
The first stage adaptation opened the 2nd of February 1926 at Ambassador Theatre on Broadway starring James Rennie as Gatsby and Florence Eldridge as Daisy. Directed by George Cukor the play ran until May 22 after one hundred twelve performances before moving to Chicago then traveling cities including Baltimore Philadelphia Detroit St Louis Denver Minneapolis.