he died for a woman who did not pick him

[@Fiction_Beast]

Special thanks to these awesome people for supporting the channel (ko-fi.com/fictionbeast): Jennifer , Erfan , Adrian G, Syed, Filippo, Will, Jenny, Banush, Off the Refrain, Nigel Bryant, Tito, Gloria Bonds, Adela, Adam Mendoza, Zak, Samer, Jeff, Simon Levin, Sharon Theordore, Martin and some anonymous souls.

[@bretonmoraduartejasser840]

I'm not American, but i knew this novel when I was a 15 year old boy, I saw the most recent film of the great Gatsby and I fell in love with the story, later I read the book and that is where my habit for literature began. To this day it is one of my favorite novels and I have a special affection for it

[@cansueceklc5020]

I read the Great Gatsby when I was 15 too. As someone who's not an american I probably wasn't able to fully understand it. But this is one of the stories that keeps getting more and more complex in your mind as time passes by. It was a turning point for me as well. Anyway have a nice day!

[@j0nnyism]

Read tender is the night. You’ll probably enjoy that is u liked this

[@fairplayer7435]

My high school English teacher in Soweto, South Africa back in the 1980's presented this book with such power I decided to not only learn about America, but also visit the country. I fulfilled that dream and recently found my old copy of the book at my parents home. The pleasure which this book gave me is beyond words.

[@ExiledGypsy]

I read the novel 1st when I was still a teenager and thought of it as you do. A simple romantic novel with a tragic end Years later I watched the film with Redford and I still thought of it as a sad romantic film with some added misogyny. But then I read it again in my early forties and it suddenly hit me. It was really about America. Every notion in the book is reflective of the US and its culture. The American dream is just part of it. The struggle between old money and new money, the idea of being naively hopeful dreaming of something great that has already passed. America was once a dream of a place, a chance to start again, away from the old ideas and barriers. But by the time Fitzgerald wrote the novel, it was already ruined. It was just that the newcomers didn't realise it. The dream that you have travelled so far for is just across the bay. The shallowness of its reality and its tragic state. It is all about America. Daisy is America.

[@cityotter]

OMG sooooo glad you did a show on Gatsby. A classic if there ever were one!!

[@Damascene749]

“You can’t repeat the past? … Why of course you can old sport” To me, this book (not exclusively) is about the Faustian spirit of America and the American Dream. It’s one of my favourite novels even though I’m not a big fiction guy.

[@drunkenmonkey254]

I don't know if you need to be American to truly appreciate the novel, but it helps to understand some of the underlying themes. How is it about the "American Dream"? Because Gatsby represents the optimistic rule breaker. Sure he swindled his money, but so did Tom and Tom's ancestors and anyone who ever got rich in America. That's how money is made. But Gatsby is somewhat redeemed, because his pursuit of money is a romantic pursuit. He doesn't chase money for money's sake, he chases it for a bigger dream. This was the American Dream, was it not? To get rich, marry the woman of your dreams and live happily ever after in a big house? To be a fulfilled romantic? To come from nothing and ACHIEVE. This is why Nick tells Gatsby he's "better than the lot of them." The others didn't believe in anything. There was no romance. No dreams. They just wallowed in their own wealth that none of them earned and that none of them knew how to truly enjoy. It's no coincidence that Tom is racist and misogynist. That's the point. The "old money" consists of a bunch of incurious, cruel, dumb, spoiled louts. And, yet, they don't need to be anything more to win. Tom beats Gatsby because that's America. Cruel, dumb privilege will beat the snot out of naive romance any day. The American Dream is just that--a dream. The reality is that Tom and people like him are in charge, and will remain in charge. And people like Daisy are ultimately ok with that. They will also give up their own dreams for the "practicality" of siding with the Toms of the world. I think it may be helpful to have grown up poor or as some kind of outsider to appreciate the novel, and Gatsby's pursuit and Nick's admiration of Gatsby. America treats you like you don't matter. You're in the way. And, in Gatsby's case, it sent him off to war to potentially die, at worst, lose the love of his life, at best, and to loser her to a man like Tom. The simplicity of the tale is part of what makes it effective. Fitzgerald wasn't going for Tolstoyian complexity and nuance. He was shooting for something more akin to haiku, or other short poetry--evoking and hinting at some unspeakable truth or reality. Part of the reason it's been so ripe for interpretation and conversation is this aspect of the novel. Anyhow, that's my penny-and-a-half. I adore the book. It's resonated with me since my early 20s. I'm not sure if its the greatest American novel, but that's sort of a silly--and utterly subjective--thing to worry about anyway. There is no Great American Novel, only Great American Novels. And this is one of them.

[@Binki-Beloved]

💯 %

[@rajeshgeorge3667]

I will read this book, even though there is shortage of time.

[@clairestaffieri4398]

Mr, Fiction, you make me laugh at myself. Why? Because, I don't know why I don't want to like your thinking but I DO ! I concur with you take on much you choose to publish on KZbin. I also wish I did not see the humor and sensitivity within what you present to us. So, what I am really saying is that.... I do enjoy and look forward to your uploads. xo Claire

[@Saber23]

The channel is great isn’t it? 🤗

[@aderemiporsche]

@@Saber23 Saber, what are you doing here?

[@Fiction_Beast]

I appreciate it. Thank you.

[@Saber23]

@@aderemiporsche appreciating great books and talking about them ☺️

[@chanelg376]

These were one of the books that made me love English in high school.

[@kennyg03]

Most of us in America had to read this book in high school growing up and I remember most people hating it (including myself). When I picked it up in my 20s and read it again, I really appreciated it. Can’t deny that beautiful writing/story telling in such a short book too, and it leaves a lot up to discussion regardless of whoever hates or loves it.

[@MP-cv6if]

Well I'm in highschool, not in America though, and man I tried really hard to read this one, to "appreciate" it, but I just couldn't read after like 100. I mean I am a really avid reader, but i found the book just boring me to death.

[@snrynkee]

@@MP-cv6if Good on ya for trying to appreciate this novel. This American did not have to read it in high school, but tried to read it later in life "to appreciate it" and like you, could not get past 100 pages. I did not like the characters or the story and as a result moved on to better books.

[@MP-cv6if]

@@snrynkee Thanks for understanding!

[@Saber23]

Yeah most people did hate it but I can definitely see why it’s a classic

[@MP-cv6if]

@@Saber23 enlighten me

[@hillogf]

I can't belive i watched that for free. Many thanks!

[@Fiction_Beast]

I will send you an invoice later, when I'm in Brazil :)

[@hillogf]

@@Fiction_Beast please do! i'm always happy to help and talk about my country

[@gracefitzgerald2227]

This was so fun to listen to, you always make it fun. The guy letting her leave with Gatsby does sound weird.😀. I will make sure I watch the video tomorrow as it was fully enjoyable to hear.

[@Fiction_Beast]

Thank you!

[@YoYo-gt5iq]

As a child I saw that we'll after midnight, HBO was playing a movie called Zelda. I was so excited bc i played that video game all the time. Well, about 90 minutes in, Zelda has some kind of freak out after a period of doing so well and they realize she needs to go to a home. The credits rolled and I was like, "this was not what I expected," but thought it was still related to the game.

[@OccamsRazor393]

For some reason I never read The Great Gatsby. Love William Faulkner and Henry Longfellow, there is just a rawness there that is just earth shattering to me. Love your channel it has quickly become one of my favorites!

[@benjaminsolomon3807]

I never read the story before but I understand as you publish it,for me it a great story and it doesn't have happy ending that shows fitgerald was submissive to the inspiration

[@thejugde859]

Best thing I got from this book was to leave the past in the past , just my option

[@cuchullain27]

This is a great channel.

[@PeterGregoryKelly]

Of course petrol was a thing in 1922, as was the car.

[@Fiction_Beast]

The question is, were they sniffing it?

[@richardmcleod1930]

"A Diamond as Big as the Ritz" is a short story written by Fitzgerald and rarely mentioned but was used in radio stories from the late 1940's.

[@themaninironmask]

Actually this novel didn’t sell well and wasn’t really popular during his lifetime. Only amongst writers such as Hemingway and the lost generation. It only began to be popular after his death.

[@jessemcelroy2019]

I felt this novel reach into my soul and present to me such things I didn’t know existed.

[@PeterGregoryKelly]

The quintessential novel of the roaring 20s, a hundred years ago. The 1920s were a boom time. Cars, roads, suburbs, household appliances first making an impact. A boom which would never end. Except it did end in October 1929. The Great Gatsby showed the negative side of the "American Dream" between the ideal and the reality. The rich make a mess like with the Wilsons and everyone else cleans up the mess. I loved the novel when I studied it in high school and I loved the movie staring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow which came out at the same time as I was studying the book. A real treat. Incidentally, there is a book called "A 50,000 word Novel the Letter E". It is the Great Gatsby, rewritten without using the letter E, except in the title.

[@JimTheCurator]

Aren't you thinking of Gadsby? That's a novel that doesn't contain the letter E, but it has nothing to do with The Great Gatsby.

[@Saber23]

That title takes the word simp to a whole new level…lol sorry I had to 😆🙏❤️

[@adamiba4339]

how could one love if he is dead, teach them reason from the childhood. but chemistry blind us and faith keep us lit for more love and beauty, my consolation.

[@tubeboy68]

Your analysis of Russian and European literature is much better. Good that you recognize your limitation may be that you didn't grow up in America. I found your summary and analysis as deep as Daisy's personality, a bit limited and shallow, eg. to say that why the book might be considered great is because it has the word "great" in the title is rather facile. Anyway, good job on the European stuff!

[@Fiction_Beast]

Appreciate the feedback. Did you watch my videos on huckleberry find and the catcher in the rye?

[@tubeboy68]

@@Fiction_Beast Yes, the themes of adolescent innocence and angst are more universal and easier to analyze. For Gatsby you need a good understanding of the Protestant work ethic, Puritanism, and yes, the American Dream. It's commendable that you're taking on all these cultural differences in literature. The best way to learn is to compare and contrast. Keep up the good work!

[@raystargazer7468]

We demand more videos detailing your cave days!

[@orangewarm1]

Depends how you look at it. He's a hero because he stuck to his ideals and followed his heart. He's an idiot because he fell for the wrong woman. It's a tragedy. In terms of French realism, tragedy is the way to go.

[@TheSalMaris]

I've read it a couple of times. I think it's over rated--it is not THE Great American Novel in my humble opinion. At the same time I don't know that there is just one great American novel. I do agree, and perhaps it is the very best part of the Great Gatsby, it expresses the ineffable American Dream. Thank you for this as always.I always look forward to your videos.

[@SAVETHEHUMANRACE1952]

If some girl intention is caught can't give opinion to others

[@blownupfishnchips9071]

The itself of Fitzgerald trying to impress this woman could be an American themed Shakespearean tragedy of itself. A good period movie idea.

[@not_emerald]

Recently I read Fitzgerald's Tales from the Jazz Age, and I couldn't help but notice the parallels between the society he was studying and ours. Things are as plastic and artificial as they used to be. I mean, take for instance Benjamin Button, who was from a family that just cared about what others would talk about them and avoided actually dealing with the kid's condition. Benjamin's wife is the same, she acts as if his condition is him simply being stubborn and defying society on purpose. In The Camel's Back, it's the same: Betty really dislikes that she married Perry, but she cries out about what others would think of her being divorced. In Diamond as Big as Ritz, Braddock tries to BRIBE GOD. If the 50s, 70s, 90s and such were times of existential issues being tackled by key figures in popular culture (I think it's fair to say that based on some stuff that would need an entire comment to elaborate), nowadays popular culture is normalizing internal repression and artificiality. I'm really interseted in reading The Great Gatsby. I heard T.S. Eliot praised it a lot at the time, even though Fitzgerald thought of it as a failure.

[@Ikaros23]

The story is timeless because it`s about human vanity and narcissism. The characters in these story`s don`t know that true happiness is wanting what you have. Not about getting what you want. The mantra of " fake it til you make it" works til you realy do make it. But is it better to be a " fake somebody than a real nobody?". The lesson in this story is " No". This mindset can get you to the topp, but it`s never going to give peace of mind or pride in acheving a goal from real work.

[@not_emerald]

@@Ikaros23 I don't think it's about narcissism at all. I think it's about the void of meaning that the post war period was in. When people have no values, they turn into plastic beings who care for little more than what is skin deep, and thar's why they're obsessed with appearances.

[@Hellismary]

Now we’re talking!

[@chickencharlie1992]

I wouldn't say this is the all time greatest American novel but I'd rank it very high up there. I think Moby Dick still holds that title, not to knock TGG but it's got a more fun adventure story at the center and the precise prose still unparalleled.

[@Saber23]

And I’m pretty sure every high school kid in North America read this book for English class ❤️

[@yxvoegl2263]

Or the Cliff notes.

[@Saber23]

@@yxvoegl2263 it’s a short read, very short if you needed the cliff notes for this that’s just a new level of sad for us 😂

[@talbrott]

we've all done it

[@aku7598]

Mother nature very intelligent to persuade human to procreate. Out of logic when comes to finding the mate.

[@j0nnyism]

For me the great gatsby is the dark side of unrequited love

[@dwaynesbadchemicals]

The best part was the last twenty pages.

[@cheri238]

"THE GREAT GATSBY " BY F. SCOTT FITZGERALD. TWO SILVERBACK GORILLAS, BIRDS, BLUE JAYES, PEACOCKS, GOATS, FLOWERS, OBSESSION OF MONEY DREAMS. JAZZ , LIQUOR, IMMATURITY, SELF FISHING SELFISHNESS, SPIDERWEBBS, DREAMS OF LOVE AND MONEY.THE GRAVE STARES AT GREEN MOONLIGHT. BEAUTIFULLY WRITTEN. Always love your analysis. ❤️

[@noheroespublishing1907]

Are you going to cover Maxim Gorky? Just wondering.

[@Fiction_Beast]

right now i have a few other projects. perhaps in the future. I have only read his "Mother".

[@noheroespublishing1907]

@@Fiction_Beast No big deal, just was wondering, was trying to get into some Soviet era literature as a creative exercise; I occasionally watch Soviet films to get a different movie experience and have enjoyed the experience. Been reading a bit of Mother and do like how accessible it feels.

[@donaldkelly3983]

Is Gatsby a hero or a nebbish? Neither. Gatsby is as American as Huck Finn and Captain Ahab.

[@TheFuryKnight]

suffering is something of a novelist maker I suppose...

[@Saber23]

Not just novelists it can be anything suffering breeds tuff people after all 🙏

[@usernameaz602]

I'm such a Yank. I love this novel. And what Baz, Leo, and Jay Z did with their film adaptation.

[@davidtrindle6473]

I did not feel TGG was very good. The characters were potentially great, but the plot was pointless and i did not feel moved, nor did i feel the characters developed or were transformed in any way. To me this and some other of Fitzgerald,‘s work seems adolescent. 😮However there is great beauty in his prose. This almost redeems the novel. Another problem I have with this story is the same problem that I have with Moby Dick. Perhaps it’s just my personality, but I simply can’t get interested in a character that is narrowed down to the personification of a single minded lust for some obsession. The characters are one dimensional and strain credulity. I just don’t seem like real people to me. In comparison, another novel touted as the great American novel is Huckleberry Finn which is much more energetic, universal, and is broad in scope, is funny and heartbreaking, and most important, it moves me.

[@Saber23]

But I will say as much of a classic as it is the plot and the pacing are really mediocre the amount of weird plot holes in this book (that’s supposed to be one of the best) is baffling lol

[@moes786121]

Silly guy

[@alargebreed4881]

I'm a little disappointed. Very superficial retelling of the book, and silly analysis afterward. From Marxist gibberish and primitive social Darwinism, we've gone almost to conspiracy theory. Sad!

[@sunspots6077]

Thi is the worst Analysis I have ever partially read!

[@lifeisabadjoke5750]

Beta male.

[@nazarakopyantc514]

hire a voice actor, awesome content but unbearable to listen to

[@Fiction_Beast]

What is your hourly rate?

[@randomdudefromearth865]

​@@Fiction_Beast my friend your voice is very soothing, be confident and don't hire any voice actor.