Top 30 Modern Classics - VII

The Great Gatsby

By F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Great Gatsby  was written by the Americal author, F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925.

The main events of the novel take place in the summer of 1922. Nick Carraway, the novel's narrator, takes a job in New York as a bond salesman. He rents a small house on Long Island. Next door lives a Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who holds extravagant parties but does not participate in them. Nick is introduced to Jordan Baker, an attractive golfer by by his cousin Daisy and her husband Tom. Nick begins a romantic relationship with Jordan. 

As the summer progresses, Nick eventually receives an invitation to one of Gatsby's parties. Nick encounters Jordan Baker at the party, and they meet Gatsby himself, an aloof and surprisingly young man who recognizes Nick from their same division in World War I. Gatsby knew daisy from an earlier romantic encounter. Gatsby yearned for Daisy. By Nick's intervention Gatsby and Daisy start to become intimate again. This upsets Tom, though he, himself, was involved in an extramarital relationship. Daisy realizes that her allegiance is to Tom, but Tom contemptuously sends her back to Long island with Gatsby.

When Nick, Jordan, and Tom were driving to their way home, they discover that Gatsby's car has struck and killed Tom's mistress, Myrtle. Nick later learns from Gatsby that Daisy, not Gatsby himself, was driving the car at the time of the accident but Gatsby intends to take the blame anyway. Myrtle's husband, George, falsely concludes that the driver of the yellow car is the secret lover he recently began suspecting she has, and sets out on foot to locate its owner. 

The climax is for the reader to find out.

Though written in 1925, this novel had a poor run initially. Its popularity started to build up during World War II, after the death of the author in 1940. The Modern Library voted it the best American Novel of the 20th century and the second best English language novel of 20th century.

Namaste

Prabir