How old is gatsby in the novel

Along with Baz Luhrmann's divisive movie extravaganza, the book has in the past decade alone spawned graphic novels, a musical, and an immersive theatrical experience. From now on, we're likely to be seeing even more such adaptations and homages because at the start of this year, the novel's copyright expired , enabling anyone to adapt it without permission from its estate.

Early calls for a Muppets adaptation may have come to nothing never say never , but a big-budget TV miniseries is already in the works, and author Min Jin Lee and cultural critic Wesley Morris are both writing fresh introductions to new editions.

The Great Gatsby has in the last decade spawned a film adaptation, a musical, a ballet and an immersive theatre experience Credit: Alamy. If this all leaves Fitzgerald purists twiddling their pearls like worry beads, it's quite possible that while some such projects may further perpetuate the myth that throwing a Gatsby-themed party could be anything other than sublimely clueless, others may yield fresh insights into a text whose very familiarity often leads us to skate over its complexities.

Take, for instance, Michael Farris Smith's new novel, Nick. The title refers, of course, to Nick Carraway, the narrator of Gatsby, who here gets his own fully formed backstory. It's the tale of a Midwesterner who goes off to Europe to fight in World War One and comes back changed, as much by a whirlwind love affair in Paris as by trench warfare. Like many, Smith first encountered the novel in high school. It seemed like something on almost every page was speaking to me in a way I had not expected," he recalls.

Reaching the scene in which Carraway suddenly remembers it's his thirtieth birthday, Smith was filled with questions about what kind of a person Gatsby's narrator really was. The thought crossed my mind that it would be really interesting if someone were to write Nick's story," he says.

In , by then a published author in his forties, he sat down to do just that, telling neither his agent nor his editor. It was only when he delivered the manuscript 10 months later that he learned copyright law meant he'd have to wait until to publish it.

Smith points to a quote from one of Fitzgerald's contemporaries as having provided the key to understanding Carraway. It's a far cry from the riotous razzmatazz of all that partying, yet Carraway is, Smith suggests, the reason Fitzgerald's novel remains read. We have to respond to and understand Gatsby and, as we do so, remain aware that we're approaching him through Nick's very particular perspective, and through Nick's very ambivalent relationship to Gatsby, which is simultaneously full of praise and full of severe criticism, even at some moments contempt," he says.

Like Smith, Cain first encountered the novel as a student. It was a different era — the s — but even so, little attention was paid to Nick. Cain recalls instead talk of symbolism — the legendary green light, for example, and Gatsby's fabled automobile. It's a reminder that, in a way, the education system is as much to blame as pop culture for our limited readings of this seminal text.

It may be a Great American Novel but, at fewer than pages, its sublimely economical storytelling makes its study points very easy to access. Written by F. The story takes place in the summer of Gatsby, who was in his thirties, threw lavish parties and was extremely popular in West Egg. This would change when his treacherous past is resurfaced upon meeting his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby grew up in an impoverished family in rural North Dakota.

However, his path to success was neither clean nor legal; he participated in organized crime, specifically the illegal distribution of alcohol and trading stolen securities. Upon his return from serving in World War I, Gatsby was determined to achieve wealth and success in order to win over Daisy, regardless of what rules he broke.

In reality, he is a solitary man who lives in his own personal bubble, trying to relive the past. When his friends try to help him better himself, he cannot because he is too caught up in his own world and refuses to change. He fails to accept the truth, which is that Daisy is now married to Tom and that he has essentially lived a lie.

Gatsby becomes so much of a problem that Wilson goes to his mansion and shoots him. Additionally, whereas Tom is a cold-hearted, aristocratic bully, Gatsby is a loyal and good-hearted man. Though his lifestyle and attitude differ greatly from those of George Wilson, Gatsby and Wilson share the fact that they both lose their love interest to Tom. Ace your assignments with our guide to The Great Gatsby!

SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. How does Nick Carraway first meet Jay Gatsby? Why did Daisy marry Tom? Why does Gatsby arrange for Nick to have lunch with Jordan Baker? How does Tom find out about the affair between Gatsby and Daisy?

How does Gatsby make his money? How are West Egg and East Egg different? What is the importance of the character Owl Eyes? Does Daisy love Gatsby or Tom?