A Rereading Meeting?
Posted by: Neil Hollands
I just re-read The Great Gatsby, a book I hadn’t looked at since high school. Back then, I remember that I liked Gatsby, but wasn’t overwhelmed. I didn’t quite get the hoopla. I re-read the novel while bouncing up and down on the elliptical trainer at the gym, a setting that sometimes doesn’t work with literary fiction. (Did Denis Johnson’s Tree of Smoke deserve the National Book Award? I’m not sure, but I finally gave up on it after many unhappy workouts, about 500 pages in.) On re-reading Gatsby, two thoughts struck me. First, this really was a great book, one that holds up marvelously, a book that despite its slight size is a deserving contender for the title of Great American Novel. Second, I really wonder why this book is so frequently assigned to teenagers: It’s power comes from emotions and events to which they are unlikely to relate.
The power of Gatsby comes from themes like the loss of idealism; the way in which unfulfilled dreams can wither, becoming hollow obsessions; and the limits of romance. These aren’t exactly themes the average teenager has the life experience to appreciate! When I first read the book, I remember feeling angry toward Daisy and Gatsby, even toward Nick and Jordan, that they couldn’t just act on their feelings and let love conquer all. Twenty years later, I understand why they can’t ride off into the sunset. I love Fitzgerald’s ear for dialogue, his graceful use of symbolism, and his majestic descriptions of the guests at Gatsby’s parties.
I started keeping a list of books that I’ve read at the turn of the century. Among my reasons for beginning the list was the desire to tap into a kind of autobiography: the map of memories that I connect with the books I was reading and the ideas and emotions they created in me. I would encourage any habitual reader to keep such a list and use it occasionally to revisit your emotional and intellectual history.
For a rewarding book group meeting, consider asking each member to revisit a book, perhaps one remembered with some ambivalence. Then share your experiences. Here are a few questions to guide your re-reading:
- When did you first read the book? What events were occuring in your life at the time? What thoughts occupied your mind in those days?
- In retrospect, did your reaction to the book then have anything to do with your emotional landscape at that time?
- If the book was a school assignment, do you think your teacher made a wise selection? Was the book appropriate for students of your age?
- How did your reaction to the book change on re-reading it? Why? Did you miss anything the first time around? Did your life experiences change your interpretation?
- Would this book be different again if you read it in another twenty years? Is it a book you will consider revisiting?
I’ve added The Sun Also Rises (which I hated), Rabbit, Run (which I felt mixed about), and Leaves of Grass (which I adored) to my list. Which books will you re-read?
January 15th, 2009 at 2:06 am
I read this and wondered, are you in my bookgroup too? TGG was our January title and the exact same topic was brought up, re: teenagers reading it and not having the life experience to appreciate it. This was a re-read for most members of our group and they, to a person, remembered alot of the symbolism of the story but not the emotions or much of the character development that they were able to appreciate this time around.