Much to my surprise, the death of Myrtle Wilson came as an abrupt and unforeseen shock. And this was my second reading of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic The Great Gatsby… I briefly remember glossing over this title in high school and apparently had done so in incredible fashion seeing as I missed one of the defining details of the novel.
Having seen the 1974 film version sometime in an English class, I don’t recall obtaining most of the details surrounding the plot of the book other than its obvious pop culture details. Safe to say I wasn’t too into literature at the time. Oh, how the times have changed.
As I’ve stepped out on in a new direction The Great Gatsby came back to me through the ease of an eBook downloaded to my phone and ingested mainly in my down time at work. Even if the title didn’t catch my eye, the quick reads category sure sparked my interest. Behind on my yearly reading goal, I was searching for anything to get me out of my slump. Turns out most of the classics are classics for a reason and written extraordinarily well. Who would have thought?
“Quick read” might describe this book because of its page length, but the ease in which Fitzgerald lays out the story lends itself towards reader immersion and an inability to put this specific title down. Gatsby makes you feel as though you are creating the story in your head from scratch as Fitzgerald produces an atmosphere devoid of distractions and obstacles. There aren’t any ambiguities, withholdings, erred characters, or plot holes. After all, the story is about love, observation, and the human condition narrated by an identifiable character almost entirely relatable. That seems to be the big ticket. Create a story filled with details and life, but make it simple, easy, and relatable.
In one of my most recent reads, again reverting to English class naivety, I found myself nose deep in Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Much like Fitzgerald’s narrator Nick Carraway, Stevenson’s tale follows the narration of Gabriel John Utterson as he observes the habits of one of his friends and colleagues.
Popular culture, in my experience, especially with older tales, focuses mainly on the talking points of entertainment leading towards preconceived notions and ideas before the original content is consumed. Both Gatsby and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde held a place in my mind where their stories were told from different perspectives, possibly from their respected main characters point of view. Another surprise in my literary trek came from the realization that some stories, turns out to be more than a few, are written from various viewpoints and narrations. Does a famous character always tell the story about himself strictly from their own point of view? Well, I’ve found out the answer is no - and I consider myself a writer. Let’s move on quickly, nothing to see here. Ha!
I do think Gatsby coincides with a quick and or easy read, whichever way you want to put it, because of its brilliance. Some literature is dense, full of heavy detail, and or strangely esoteric at times, but Gatsby comes in smooth with an understandable angle that oozes feelings of everyday life. Now most of us don’t have access to a rich man’s mansion or the frivolity much enjoyed by this stories characters, but the topics of love, friendship, intrigue, and adventure resonate with almost everyone else in the world. At least, we all strive towards a dream of a life as easy as these characters have.
Most of my favorite novels are easy, not because of their word count or subject matter, but because of their connection to what it means to be human. They are simple on the surface with more detail and meaning the deeper you take them. For instance, I love to listen to jazz or various genre instrumentals while I read. These allow me to slip into the world of the pages I hold rather than getting sucked into the story of the lyrics filling my ears. I’m almost positive no one would label Jazz as simple or easy, even though there is the easy listening genre. These genres provide a footprint that at first glance or listen appear to be simple – easy to read to – but as you get into the detail one would quickly find out that Jazz, being so pleasurable to the human ear, can be some of the most difficult and complex music ever written.
On the surface, Gatsby is larger than itself in folklore. There may be more to learn about Jay Gatsby, his curious acquaintances, and even yourself when you dive into the world on West Egg. If you’ve never read through, and better yet, have never seen any of the film adaptations, pick up the novel, or borrow the eBook, and lose yourself to a tale that has stood the test of time.
I’m not going to summarize, and I won’t spoil anything more. Turns out, if you aren’t familiar with the story, I may have already given away one of the major plot points. And with that said, I apologize for my assumption. Otherwise, enjoy your journey.
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