Quicklet - F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby

ABOUT THE BOOK

F. Scott Fitzgeralds grand story about disillusionment and hopeless love has charmed generations of readers and critics, but perhaps The Great Gatsbys greatest fan was its author. He told his editor, I think my novel is about the best American novel ever written.

So Fitzgerald is not the most humble man, but as the author of a novel which both chastises and celebrates humanitys vices, that fact should not come as such a surprise. The Great Gatsby, though a rather slender book, expounds upon larger-than-life flaws and mistakes of its characters. It is a story of more than just people, but of a country and a society lost amidst their own wealth, searching for their individuality and salvation.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Hayley Igarashi is a student at UC Davis preparing to graduate this summer with a degree in both history and philosophy. She has been writing fictional short stories since she was a child, and a couple of her pieces have even been published in small online magazines. Only recently has she discovered how nice writing about real life can be, a realization that took surprisingly long considering her background in history. She likes to read and at the moment is most inspired by the writings of Kurt Vonnegut, Jonathan Safran Foer, Kazuo Ishiguro, and because everyone needs a guilty pleasure, George R. R. Martin. When not studying for school, she enjoys doing normal things like hanging out with friends and family and watching movies. Items on her bucket list include sky-diving, running a marathon, writing a full-length novel, and learning how to cook something that tastes good.<.p>

If you have a Facebook, you should stop by and say hello! Find her here: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1434740403

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

In the summer of 1922, Nick Carraway moves from Minnesota to New York to pursue a career in the bond business. He rents a house in West Egg, a neighborhood populated by the new rich. He soon discovers that his neighbor is Jay Gatsby, a man everyone likes to gossip about but no one seems to actually know.

As he begins to settle in, Nick finds himself more often in East Egg, home to established upper class. His cousin Daisy lives there with her husband, Tom, Nicks former classmate from Yale. Through them, he meets and becomes romantically involved with Jordan Baker, a competitive golfer who has cheated to gain success. On his way home from an evening spent with Daisy and Tom, Nick is surprised to see a figure on Gatsbys lawn, stretching his hands out toward a green light off in the distance.

Nick attends two parties that begin to drastically affect his attitude towards New York society life. First, Nick goes to an impromptu alcohol-fueled bash with Tom and Toms lover, Myrtle. He is at once disgusted and fascinated by their vulgarity.

CHAPTER OUTLINE

• Quicklet on F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
• F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby
  • About the Book
  • About the Author
  • Overall Summary
  • Chapter-by-Chapter Commentary and Summary
  • ...and much more