Well, we’re quickly coming to the end of The Great Gatsby, so it’s a good time to talk about the next book. What would you like to read and discuss with a group? Browsing at a bookstore the other evening, I thought I would enjoy discovering an author I’ve never read before. Two I saw […]
An excellent article titled Professor, private investigator team up in search of the real ‘Great Gatsby’, which gives a look at the man purportedly behind Fitzgerald’s title character. Some detail is given on Max von Gerlach, who Zelda Fitzgerald said was the inspiration for Jay Gatsby. However this excerpt highlights the uncertainty of that claim: […]
In the middle third of the book, we hear Gatsby’s story of himself, meet Meyer Wolfshiem, find out some back-story on Jay and Daisy from Jordan, witness Jay and Daisy’s reunion, tour Gatsby’s house, find out more facts about Gatsby, and attend a disappointing party at his house. As Fitzgerald said in a different story, […]
A good article at the International Herald Tribune site (link is down) that ties in the history of Long Island and Fitzgerald. In “Gatsby,” Fitzgerald’s narrator and stand-in, Nick Carraway, says, “It was a matter of chance that I should have rented a house in one of the strangest communities in North America.” But West Egg […]
What do you say about The Great Gatsby that hasn’t been said a thousand times already? Still, here I am posting on the book. I had never read the book, so I’m coming to it fresh instead of having a teacher tell me what I’m supposed to see in it. I’m interested to see if […]
Screen capture of the characters (left to right) Catherine Moreland, Eleanor Tilney, Henry Tilney I watched the BBC production of Northanger Abbey this weekend and, while enjoyable, I found it a little underwhelming. While some of the story line is faithful to the book, much is missing. The biggest loss is the lack of irony […]
Since I’ve been traveling I haven’t had much of a chance to research resources for The Great Gatsby. At first glance, there is a lot available, but I’m not sure how good many of them are. I’ll pass along a few I’ve had a chance to visit. Please add anything you found and liked in […]
One-stop shopping for any Northanger Abbey related post. As we move on to other books, feel free to add any comments about the book here. Northanger Abbey discussion: Volume 1, Chapters 1 – 5 Northanger Abbey discussion: Volume 1, Chapters 6 – 10 Northanger Abbey discussion: Volume 1, Chapters 11 – 15 Northanger Abbey discussion: […]
Any additional thoughts you’d like to share on Northanger Abbey? I hope to watch the BBC video of the book while traveling this week and I’ll post my review. I’ve mentioned this before: at first glance the book felt very slight, but the more I looked the more I saw. Definitely a good preview of […]
Join us in reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The copy I have is around 180 pages, so I’ll divide it up into sections of about 60 pages for each week. I’ll go with the tentative schedule below for now and see if it needs revision. August 30: Chapters 1 – 3September 6: […]
We finish the book with this section. “And they lived happily ever after” is a little simplistic, so add your thoughts in the comments! “To begin perfect happiness at the respective ages of twenty-six and eighteen, is to do pretty well…”
There are two directions I’m deciding between for the next book: one would be a series of novellas, the other would be another (relatively) short book. If you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to leave them in the comments. Thanks!
I won’t be able to comment for a couple of days, but wanted to get the discussion post up for others to do so. With these chapters, the setting moves to Northanger Abbey and the gothic-novel spoof is in full bloom. I can do no better than “The terror of Northanger Abbey had no name, […]
The stay in Bath continues, with Catherine increasingly tricked and cajoled to spend time with John Thorpe. We meet more of the Tilneys, and receive good news(?) at the end of Volume 1. The comments section is for what you think of the book through the end of Volume 1. Add anything interesting you’ve found […]
(click for larger image–the text is priceless) Check out this wonderful 1965 bookcover to “A paper library gothic.” I wonder if that is the forerunner to “romance novels.” Actually wondered the same thing while reading Northanger Abbey. Anyway, you think they missed the entire point of the novel? I have to believe that anyone that […]
The season in Bath continues and there are many gothic novel references in this section. We are introduced to John Thorpe and Catherine’s brother, James as well. As usual, post your thoughts about the book through Chapter 10 in the comments section!
In Chapter 6 (Volume 1), Catherine gushes about The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Ward Radcliffe. The text of the book can be found online here. I did a quick search for references that Catherine made to the black veil, and I believe this section is it: Passing the light hastily over several other pictures, […]
The Wikipedia entry on Bath, England is useful to see the setting of over half the book. From the Celts who founded it to the Romans who turned the springs into a spa, Bath became a social center in the 18th century. By the time the book was written, the social aspect of Bath was […]
I’ve been traveling and unable to post, so I’ll start the discussion of Northanger Abbey now. I realize the pace of the schedule is slow, but I wanted people starting late with the book to have the ability to easily catch up. Chapters 1 through 5 introduces us to our heroine, Catherine Moreland, and we […]
Fellow blogger Barry Barnitz is something of a Jane Austen buff. He supplied us with many of the links for this post. You may want to check out his Economic analysis of Jane Austen (link seems to be dead). Here are some other thoughts Barry has provided “off the top of his head”: “First, let […]