I finished "The Great Gatsby."
And I absolutely hated the book. More so than last month's Classics Challenge "Pride & Prejudice." In fact, if TGG was longer, I probably wouldn't have finished it either.
Oh, where do I start?
If you remember from my Mid-Month Update, I wasn't too pleased with the characters. Aside from Gatsby and Daisy that is.
Now that I'm finished, let me just say... I didn't like ANY of the characters. Daisy was a weak-minded girl who couldn't figure out what she wanted (or establish any convictions). Her flaw came down to an inability to withstand the trials that come with love. Instead of waiting for Gatsby when they first knew and loved each other, she caved for someone who was available in a proximity sense. Never mind that Gatsby was fighting in a WAR.
Why don't I like Gatsby?
He doesn't understand what love is. He claimed to "love" Daisy. Way off base. Gatsby, my man, what you have isn't love. It's obsession. Love is wanting the absolute best for someone. You went about the right way, trying to make money so she could live comfortably (albeit illegally...). But trying to get her to leave her husband? That's a big no-no.
Guys, for future reference. Throwing big, drunken parties is not the way to impress your girl.
Of course, I might be typing a different tune if these characters had redeeming qualities or learned a lesson. I won't spoil the ending for you (though I've spoiled plenty already), but none of these characters were improved. None of them learned their "lesson." Though I suppose Tom realizes that he could lose Daisy. So maybe that's something.
Overall, "The Great Gatsby" is definitely not on my "favorite classics" shelf. In fact, I can't wait to return the thing to the library.
I will not be watching the movie.
UGH.
It's March 15th already. Can you believe it? I can't! I feel like February owned the calendar just yesterday.
Lucky for me, unlike PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I am halfway through THE GREAT GATSBY at this point. Which, okay, isn't hard. The classic is the shortest on the list and not even 200 pages long.
Let me start by saying, I've never seen any of the many movies made after this book. So I'm going in with a totally fresh and empty-slated mind. What are my thoughts so far?
The men in this book are jerks. And the women are idiots. Adultery and heavy drinking is a huge part of this book which is really aggravating. Squeeze your eyes shut if you don't want a spoiler, because I'm about to go on a rant.
Ready?
Okay.
Nick is the narrator of THE GREAT GATSBY. His cousin is Daisy. Her husband is Tom.
Tom goes out with Nick one evening and what do they do? Visit Tom's married lover and have a mini party at her apartment!
Sheesh, Nick! Where is your loyalty to your cousin? Come on!
It gets worse. Tom's "lover" mouths off against him and what does Tom do? HE BREAKS HER NOSE.
Yes, you read that right. I instantly hated every single person in that apartment for taking Tom's abuse in stride. Nick didn't even bat an eye at this. It might've had something to do with the fact that he was incredibly drunk. But still.
Honestly, the only characters I'm invested in at this point are Daisy and Gatsby. Daisy because she's a literal spot of sunshine in the book. Gatsby because he's a mysterious man who's desperately in love.
And who doesn't like a man in love?
"Nothing is as obnoxious as other people's luck." ~ F. Scott Fitzgerald
Our first male author in the Classics Challenge--and full-blooded American! The "F" stands for Francis, in case you were wondering.
Mr. Fitzgerald loved writing. So much so that he neglected his studies at Princeton University and focused on literary pursuits. All too aware that he wouldn't graduate due to failing grades, Mr. Fitzgerald ditched school for the army and WWI. The belief that he would die on the field compelled Mr. Fitzgerald to write his first novel: The Romantic Egotist.
In the end, Mr. Fitzgerald never even left home. The war ended, and he was discharged before being sent overseas.
Now Mr. Fitzgerald abandoned the "sword" for the "pen" and his lifelong writing career began.
Though he had commercial success with his novels and short stories, critics didn't take him seriously. His reputation as an alcoholic painted him as an "irresponsible writer"--despite the fact that he wrote sober. Which is an interesting twist of things, considering his close friendship with Ernest Hemingway ("Write drunk, edit sober" cough cough).
After writing his third novel, the famous The Great Gastby, Mr. Fitzgerald's life collapsed. His alcoholism grew worse and his wife, Zelda, was in and out of mental institutions. In the end, Mr. Fitzgerald died of heart failure in the apartment of his "girlfriend" (while still married to Zelda). The Love of the Last Tycoon, a work in progress at the time, was never finished.
Writerly Things to Learn from F. Scott Fitzgerald:
1. Don't give up just because you were rejected the first AND second time. Mr. Fitzgerald's The Romantic Egotist went through massive editing after a publisher rejected it twice. It went on to garner acclaim, published as The Side of Paradise.
2. Keep your nasty habits in check. In a world of social media, we are even more "out in the open" than in Mr. Fitzgerald's day. Remember to always keep your writerly persona professional; you never know what could make the difference in your success.
3. If you want to write, you have to make sacrifices for it. Mr. Fitzgerald pursued the literary world with all he had (much to the chagrin of his Princeton professors, I'm sure). After the success of The Side of Paradise, he quit his job to devote even more time to the craft. Devote time to your story.
