Just Finished Reading The Great Gatsby

[gothrockrulz]

I think I'll just curl up in a corner and cry. What a gorgeous, lavish, heartbreaking book. It'll take a few days just to soak everything up, short book thought it is.

Comments

[silverflight8.livejournal.com]

gorgeous, lavish, heartbreaking book

You've nailed it. SO BEAUTIFUL and SO SAD.

/turns off the capslock

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Why did it have to be so sad? Why did I have to identify with Carraway, Daisy, and Gatsby all at once? WHY?!

My biggest question is, did Daisy even mourn privately for Gatsby? We never, ever know!

[xerinmichellex.livejournal.com]

I feel like I should re-read The Great Gatsby because I remember really not liking it and thinking it was boring. But... that tends to happen in a school-setting because of just being able to read the material, you have to be on the lookout for ~themes and ~symbolism. I want to do the same for To Kill a Mockingbird, too.

Catcher in the Rye, though, can burn in all nine circles of hell, and its ashes can burn in the circles too.

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that can happen. I didn't much like it either--well, what I've read of it, haven't successfully made it to the end yet.

I remember enjoying Catcher in the Rye though, however that may have been more because I was explicitly told not to read it and felt subsequently rebellious and cultured when I did.

[xerinmichellex.livejournal.com]

I think what makes it hard is that all of the characters are hard to like: they're really shallow and up their own butts that it's hard to connect with them. Which, I know, is the point Fitzgerald is trying to make on the '20's flapper culture.

I absolutely hated Rye; but you share the same mindset that all my classmates shared--that it's somehow this "forbidden" book and we're so cool reading it. My parents couldn't have cared less that I had to read it. (Probably it helped that I complained about the book, they didn't have to be worried about me getting "ideas" from it!)

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

I think you have to be a teenager to enjoy Rye, for the same reason that most teenagers enjoy Hamlet-- it's effing ANGSTY.

But yeah, the shallow, arrogant, superficial characters made it hard. Everyone on AW goes on and on about the gorgeous language and imagery, which I get, but I just don't care about any of those people. I think Baz Luhrmann is the perfect guy to direct it though. He'll make it gorgeous.

[xerinmichellex.livejournal.com]

I *love* Hamlet. One because Emilie Autumn draws a lot of inspiration from the Ophelia character. Most importantly, Hamlet is this psychological trip. The angst doesn't really hold my attention; but trying to figure out and dissect whether or not Hamlet's lost his marbles--at any point in the story--is fascinating. Plus, I like that everyone dies at the end. /promise I'm not a sociopath /maybe

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

You've got a good point. I'm becoming convinced a great way to ruin classic lit for people is to force them to read it for school.

Wow, Catcher in the Rye is that bad? Whew.

[xerinmichellex.livejournal.com]

South Park summed it up pretty well: "It's just some whiny-ass kid talking about how lame he is."

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

I usually can't abide South Park, but that phrase sounds pretty good. Like something you could apply to quite a few stories. :)

[asthenie-vd.livejournal.com]

Agreed! So much! I read it last year and I simply loved how it made me feel. It's so atmospheric!

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Atmospheric is a great way to put it. The better the book's atmosphere, the easier it is to lose yourself in its thrilling world. :)

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

Good on you, my friend! I've tried to read it three times, and I get bored EVERY single time. With the movie coming out, I'm endeavoring to have another crack at it. It's one of those rare books that, for whatever reason, feels like a chore to read for me. I'm far in the minority on that, though.

Glad you enjoyed it!

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Makes sense that it's not easy to slough through. Fitzgerald's descriptive skills make me despair of ever writing well, but you have to really concentrate when there's no immediate character interaction. I read it to prep for the movie, too--IT LOOKS SO AMAZING. And I'm so excited Carey Mulligan is in it. Ironically, from the book's description, I thought of Vivien Leigh when I thought of Daisy.

BTW, I swear I'm not ignoring your Dcotor Who posts--I just am really far behind, and have to avoid spoilers. :)

[rhoda-rants.livejournal.com]

Oh, no worries--I figured you weren't caught up on 7 yet. I know how that goes. :)

I don't even remember how Daisy's described, but I'm going to picture her as Carey Mulligan now. Obviously. The movie looks amazing.

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Yup--definitely worth going to see in the theaters, I think. The costumes look positively lethal. :)

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

Yesssss!!! That's about how I felt, except a little sick too.

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

*hugs* Hope the sickness didn't last for too long?

[msantimacassar.livejournal.com]

No, just all that beauty and wealth did not make them decent people, you know?

[gothrockrulz.livejournal.com]

Yeah. If anything, their corruption was nurtured by their wealth and beauty, in making them think too well of themselves, and not seeing their characters as they truly were.