How Did The Great Gatsby Become a Classic?

Friends, Romans, countrymen lend me your ears.

I come to shatter your beliefs about the Great Gatsby.

Calm down.

This is not a critical review of the book, but rather an objective analysis of its evolution to “classic” status.

There’s a backstory you should know.

Let’s Talk About Classic Books

But before I get to that back story, let me explain why I decided to do this post.

On various social media platforms and opinion pieces on multiple news outlets, I’ve read people railing against any change to the required reading list for middle and high school students.

People claim to have pulled their children from public schools in favor of private school or homeschooling because children should only read the classics.

The Status Quo

Here’s something to think about for people committed to maintaining the list of classics read when they were in school.

The school year is finite. There are only so many books that can be read and analyzed. Students aren’t just reading novels. They’re reading plays, poems, and short stories as well.

When a new book is added to the list, an existing one has to be removed. When Gatsby was added another book bit the dust.

What book did Gatsby knock off to get on your school’s list? 

Was the preceeding generation aghast at the change?

Differerent school districts have different lists. There is not a national standard list.  Authors and books are chosen for a variety of reasons. Nothing is set in stone.

The Classic Books Label

Here’s another question.

What makes a book a classic?

In general, the consensus is: “books that are highly regarded, timeless in theme, and have stood the test of time.”

Well, that’s vague and subjective.

At this point Shakespeare and Aristole qualify, but why and who else?

Will they endure for another two hundred years? Can today’s students still relate?

BONUS: See reference links at bottom of post for a video about a well-known, much-revered children’s book that was banned by the Brooklyn Public Library for the use of a single word.

By today’s standards it’s a head-scratcher or laughter inducing.

The History of The Great Gatsby

So now, let’s look at the Great Gatsby.

Would it surprise you to learn that when it was first published Gatsby neither a critical or commercial success?

It wasn’t panned by critics but many believed that it didn’t live up to the quality of Fitzgerald’s previous works.

Upon its first release, Gatsby sold more copies than another, older classic book (I’ll tell you which one in an upcoming post) but it didn’t land on any best-seller list, either.

The book faded from store shelves and was forgotten.

At the end of 1940, Mr. Fitzgerald went to his grave lamenting the failure of his tome.

It was the not-so Great Gatsby.

A Second Chance

So, what happened?

World War II.

Wait, what? 

Yes, that’s correct. The Great Gatsby owes its vaunted position to classic status to the Second World War.

Here’s the short version of what happened.

A group of book publishers, librarians, and authors created the Council on Books in Wartime to provide relaxation to U.S. troops, while also shaping the way they thought about issues and the purpose of the war.

In 1943 after laying dormant for almost two decades, the Great Gatsby was edited and republished.

The Armed Services Edition of the book was sent overseas to U.S. servicemembers.

For whatever reason, it resonated with many of the troops. They shared their excitement with family and friends back home.

This produced discussion and reexamination by a new set of critics and the general public.

From there it was off to the races and the top of best sellers list.

It would be several more years before it landed on required school reading lists.

Final Thoughts

Here’s something else to consider when discussing the classics.

Times change – tastes change. Not everyone has the same taste and what’s intriguing today may not be to future generations.

Regardless of how popular a book, movie, or TV show is, it’s not going to appeal to everyone.

Required reading should cross a broad range of themes, cultures, human conditions, etc. while having the potential to provokde thought or resonate with a large segment of its captive audience.

It’s valuable to expose young people to fiction from decades or centuries ago, but contemporar works should also be offered.

To expect the current and future generations to receive an education from the past is not the way forward.

Keep things in perspective.

Reference Links

Saying Goodbye to Gatsby

Book Bans Aren’t the Only Threat to Literature in American Classrooms

What Word Got Huck Finn Banned in 1905? (Education Unpacked on YouTube)