[Pocket Edition] World Literature Masterpiece Library - The Great Gatsby

Author: (American) F. Scott Fitzgerald (Fitzgerald, F.S.), translated by Lu Jin, Wang Jinhua, et al.
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: This book is part of the "World Literary Masterpieces Collection," a fully translated and illustrated edition. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a renowned novelist of the 20th-century American literary scene, alongside Hemingway and Faulkner. This novel is his most famous and outstanding work, as well as one of the finest in American modern literature. The renowned American literary critic T.S. Eliot highly praised the novel, calling it "the most significant step American fiction has taken since Henry James." In 1998, Random House ranked "The 100 Best English Novels of the 20th Century," and "The Great Gatsby" was ranked second, far ahead of other American novels. The novel is set in the upper-middle-class white society of modern America and unfolds through the narration of Nick Carraway. Carraway, born in the Midwest of the United States, moves to New York to study the stock business, hoping to make a fortune. He lives in Long Island and becomes neighbors with the protagonist, Gatsby, eventually becoming friends with him. Gatsby, originally named Gatz, also hails from the Midwest. Born into poverty, he is ambitious and later becomes wealthy through bootlegging. He frequently hosts lavish parties at his home, entertaining guests to display his wealth, with the goal of attracting his former lover, Daisy, and winning her back. Five years earlier, when Gatsby was serving in the military, Daisy was his lover. During Gatsby's overseas service in World War I, she married the wealthy and reckless Tom Buchanan out of greed. However, the fulfillment of material and sensual desires could not fill the spiritual emptiness and lack in Daisy's life. With Carraway's help, after reuniting with Gatsby, it seems as though their old flame is reignited. But Daisy is no longer the same as before; she is no longer the innocent girl Gatsby imagined, but a foolish, selfish, vulgar, and beautiful shell. Gatsby's beautiful dream is finally shattered, yet he still struggles in his last moments, clinging to a sliver of hope for Daisy, which leads to a more tragic and pitiful fate. Later, Daisy, while driving Gatsby's car after drinking, accidentally kills Tom's mistress. She then conspires with Tom to cruelly frame Gatsby, leading to the deceased's husband bursting into Gatsby's home and shooting him to death. The husband then takes his own life, making Gatsby a final and utterly selfless and cruel sacrifice to the materialistic Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald is a renowned novelist of the 20th-century American literary scene, alongside Hemingway and Faulkner. His novels profoundly reveal the characteristics of the 1920s in America and depict the theme of the disillusionment of the "American Dream," earning him the titles of "Poet Laureate" and "Chronicles" of the "Jazz Age." "The Great Gatsby" is his most famous and outstanding work, as well as one of the finest in American modern literature. The renowned American literary critic T.S. Eliot highly praised "The Great Gatsby," calling it "the most significant step American fiction has taken since Henry James." In 1998, Random House ranked "The 100 Best English Novels of the 20th Century," and "The Great Gatsby" was ranked second, far ahead of other American novels.