The Great Gatsby: Summary

The Great Gatsby is a classic American novel that tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy businessman living in 1920s New York. The novel examines the themes of love and obsession, wealth and power, and the pursuit of the American Dream. It explores the idea that money can’t buy happiness and how our life choices can have a profound impact on our lives. The novel also examines the concept of the “American Dream” and how it can be a source of both hope and despair. Finally, it looks at issues of social class and morality as Gatsby attempts to make his way into higher society despite his humble beginnings.

1. How does the novel reflect the themes of the Jazz Age?
2. How does Jay Gatsby's idealism shape his character and behavior?
3. What is the significance of the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock?
4. How does Fitzgerald portray the wealthy people in The Great Gatsby?
5. What role do female characters play in the novel?
6. What is the significance of Nick Carraway’s narration of the story?
7. How did geography help to shape events in The Great Gatsby?
8. What is Fitzgerald's message about the pursuit of wealth in The Great Gatsby?
9. Is there a moral lesson to be learned from The Great Gatsby?
10. What do you think are some of the key symbols and imagery used in The Great Gatsby?

• The Great Gatsby is a timeless classic that captures the essence of the American Dream.
• Fitzgerald's writing style is beautifully poetic and evocative.
• The novel highlights the dark side of the Jazz Age, with its excesses and moral vacuity.
• Gatsby's story is a tragic one, but also a testament to his immense strength of character.
• Themes of idealism and disillusionment are explored in an engaging way throughout the novel.
• Daisy Buchanan is painted as a complex character, whose motivations are never fully revealed or explained.
• The symbolism of the green light at the end of Daisy's dock serves as a powerful metaphor for yearning and hope.
• The novel has been adapted into numerous films, each offering its own unique perspective on the characters and themes.
• Through his vivid descriptions, Fitzgerald paints a picture of 1920s America in all its opulence and decadence.
• Despite being written nearly 100 years ago, The Great Gatsby still resonates with readers today because of its timeless themes and messages about love and ambition.

1. "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”
2. "No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart."
3. "I hope she'll be a fool—that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool."
4. "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that's no matter—tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.”
5. "The truth was that Jay Gatsby of West Egg, Long Island, sprang from his Platonic conception of himself. He was a son of God—a phrase which, if it means anything, means just that—and he must be about His Father's business, the service of a vast, vulgar and meretricious beauty.”

TV & Film Adaptations: 1. The Great Gatsby (1974), starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow 2. The Great Gatsby (2013), starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey Maguire 3. G (2002), an adaptation of the novel set in modern-day Japan 4. Gatsby, the Musical (2001), a Broadway musical adaptation 5. The Great Gatsby (2000), a BBC television series 6. “The Cat’s Meow” (2001), a film adaptation starring Kirsten Dunst and Edward Norton 7. Gatz (2010), a stage adaptation by Elevator Repair Service 8. The Great Gatsby in Concert (2015), an operatic adaptation 9. The Great Gatsby (2016), a Bollywood remake starring Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone 10. The Great Gatsby (2017), an Australian TV movie starring Richard Roxburgh Radio & Podcast Adaptations: 1. The Great Gatsby Radio Play (1953) produced by the BBC 2. The Classic Tales Podcast's adaptation of The Great Gatsby (2014) 3. WNYC’s RadioLab episode “Gatsby!” (2007) 4. NPR’s All Things Considered series on “The American Dream As Explored In 'The Great Gatsby'” (2012)

• Tender Is the Night
• The Beautiful and Damned
• This Side of Paradise
• The Last Tycoon
• The Love of the Last Tycoon
• Flappers and Philosophers
• The Vegetable, or From President to Postman
• Tales of the Jazz Age
• The Diamond as Big as the Ritz and Other Stories
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales
• Babylon Revisited and Other Stories