Great Gatsby

As I reflect back on my high school experience of reading The Great Gatsby, I do not find it very memorable.  I remember being bored, and I remembered the car accident at the end.  Was my teacher not engaging or was I not attentive enough?  This time, I am loving it.  I think a big part of my enjoyment in the novel is the background information that we learned about Fitzgerald and his life in addition to his deliberate use of detail.  I appreciate that he labored over every word until it sounded the way he wanted it to.  I love his phrases, such as "It [Daisy's voice] was full of money--that was the inexhaustible charm that rose and fell in it, the jingle in it, the cymbals' song of it . . ." (Fitzgerald 120).

As a prospective teacher, I want to know how to engage my students.  Perhaps I need to give them background information on the author's life and writing style.  For instance, because I read the letters of Jean Toomer, I had more appreciation for his book Cane.  Maybe students need more opportunities to engage with the text and author.  I do not remember learning anything about Fitzgerald or his careful use of language when reading the novel in high school.  Now I appreciate it very much.  I also wonder if having undergraduates lead a short discussion session on an aspect of the novel would engage them.  I know that when I wrote the lead on the Eggs, I was forced to do research and find out more about the book on my own, which also contributed to my love for the book.