Fitzgerald felt critics did not understand that "Gatsby" was largely symbolic and autobiographical. In 1996, the USPS issued a stamp commemorating the 100th anniversary of his birth.
Q1. F. Scott Fitzgerald's third novel, "The Great Gatsby," was published 100 years ago this month. It tops many "greatest American novel lists," and was the only book in all six top ten lists we checked.
Other novels that appeared in at least three of the six lists were "Grapes of Wrath," To Kill a Mockingbird," "Moby Dick," "Huckleberry Finn," "Catcher in the Rye," "Catch 22," and "Invisible Man."
Do you think "The Great Gatsby" is among the greatest American novels?
Other novels that appeared in at least three of the six lists were "Grapes of Wrath," To Kill a Mockingbird," "Moby Dick," "Huckleberry Finn," "Catcher in the Rye," "Catch 22," and "Invisible Man."
Do you think "The Great Gatsby" is among the greatest American novels?
overall
custom
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
Definitely
28%
24%
32%
28%
23%
30%
14%
28%
31%
32%
28%
Probably
34%
31%
36%
26%
45%
39%
37%
30%
35%
36%
34%
Probably not
10%
10%
11%
10%
8%
11%
22%
6%
9%
11%
10%
Definitely not
5%
7%
3%
7%
4%
3%
0%
7%
6%
3%
5%
Not sure
4%
3%
5%
6%
2%
3%
0%
9%
3%
4%
4%
Not familiar enough with the novel to say
17%
22%
13%
22%
16%
13%
27%
20%
15%
12%
17%
Don't care
1%
2%
0%
2%
0%
1%
0%
0%
1%
3%
1%
Q2. To many, the main theme of "Gatsby" is the myth of the American Dream, that it is not true that in America every individual, regardless of their origins, may seek and achieve their desired goals, be they political, monetary, or social.
Scholars and writers commonly ascribe Jay Gatsby's inability to achieve the American Dream to entrenched class disparities in American society. The novel underscores the limits of the American lower class to transcend their station of birth, that the novel is a tale of class warfare in a status-obsessed country that refuses to acknowledge publicly it even has a class system.
Generally speaking, do you think it is the case that in America every individual, regardless of their origins, may seek and achieve their desired goals?
Scholars and writers commonly ascribe Jay Gatsby's inability to achieve the American Dream to entrenched class disparities in American society. The novel underscores the limits of the American lower class to transcend their station of birth, that the novel is a tale of class warfare in a status-obsessed country that refuses to acknowledge publicly it even has a class system.
Generally speaking, do you think it is the case that in America every individual, regardless of their origins, may seek and achieve their desired goals?
overall
custom
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
Yes
43%
54%
33%
78%
32%
11%
14%
34%
58%
46%
43%
Once, but no longer
23%
19%
26%
14%
24%
31%
25%
24%
19%
28%
23%
No, and never was
32%
25%
39%
7%
42%
56%
62%
41%
22%
25%
32%
Don't know
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
2%
0%
2%
2%
2%
2%
Don't care
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
0%
Q3. Unlike Fitzgerald's first two novels, "Gatsby" was not particularly well received. It sold only 20k copies, and critics were mixed. Fitzgerald thought "Gatsby" to be his finest work, and when he died, in 1940 at the age of 44, he thought its lack of acceptance meant his failure as a writer.
Sentiment about the book started to change in 1942, when the Army sent 155k copies to combat troops, in part because it was short for a novel, and thus relatively easy to ship and carry. At the same time, up and coming writers such as John O'Hara started to publicly acknowledged Gatsby's influence on their own work.
The novel continued to gain acclaim, and by 1960 it was selling 100k copies annually. Today, a total of 30m have been sold, another 250k annually, and "Gatsby" is an assigned book in nearly half of US public high schools.
Do you think the posthumous rags-to-riches story for the novel itself is a metaphor for either the myth of the American Dream, or its existence?
Sentiment about the book started to change in 1942, when the Army sent 155k copies to combat troops, in part because it was short for a novel, and thus relatively easy to ship and carry. At the same time, up and coming writers such as John O'Hara started to publicly acknowledged Gatsby's influence on their own work.
The novel continued to gain acclaim, and by 1960 it was selling 100k copies annually. Today, a total of 30m have been sold, another 250k annually, and "Gatsby" is an assigned book in nearly half of US public high schools.
Do you think the posthumous rags-to-riches story for the novel itself is a metaphor for either the myth of the American Dream, or its existence?
overall
custom
male
female
rep
ind
dem
18-29
30-44
45-64
65+
Metaphor that the Dream is a myth
30%
22%
36%
11%
35%
46%
44%
45%
18%
21%
30%
Metaphor that the Dream exists
31%
31%
31%
51%
24%
13%
3%
13%
46%
45%
31%
Not a metaphor for either
27%
31%
22%
23%
24%
32%
47%
27%
22%
23%
27%
Don't know
9%
8%
9%
10%
11%
6%
4%
9%
11%
8%
9%
Don't care
4%
7%
1%
5%
6%
2%
3%
6%
3%
3%
4%
"No amount of fire or freshness can challenge what a man will store up in his ghostly heart."
4% said Gatsby was their favorite among the most commonly assigned school books. To Kill a Mockingbird (22%), Animal Farm (14%), and Catcher in the Rye (13%) were the top three vote getters
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