I just finished The Great Gatsby. It's been on the list of books I should read for a long time, and I was pushed by a colleague on the English Companion Ning to just read it...which I finally did. My goal was to finish it by my birthday, but I finished early!
I did not love it, but I did not expect to love it. In fact, I was pushed to read it despite the fact that it did not appeal to me in the least. It was OK. I didn't hate it. Mostly I thought they were all pitiful. Even Nick--who was supposed to have some semblance of moral fiber (wasn't he?)--just rode around with his cousin's husband Tom and Tom's mistress. Really? He just accepted the fact of this adultery? Hmm. Not to mention the fact that he arranged for his cousin Daisy to secretly meet her former lover...Did he really not suspect why Gatsby wanted to see her again, or did he not care?
I did find myself frequently wondering how on earth it is taught in so may high school classrooms! What do students take away from the experience? What connection does it have to their lives? I am anxious to speak to students who have read this in class to see what they think.
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