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Title details for The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - Wait list

The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald
ebook
Pre-release: Expected September 2, 2025
0 of 2 copies available
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Experience The Great Gatsby like never before.

Part of the Contested Classics Series, this insightful edition of The Great Gatsby uncovers the layers beneath its glamorous surface. Published in 1925, the novel is renowned for its portrayal of the Roaring Twenties and its exploration of themes such as the American Dream, love, and betrayal. This special edition illuminates why this celebrated masterpiece has also faced its share of controversy and challenges in the modern era.

Our editors provide a richer understanding of the text and its historical context with annotations throughout the text where the top reasons why The Great Gatsby has been banned or challenged.

  • Language and *Adult* References: The book contains language and scenes that some have deemed inappropriate for students. This includes mild profanity and some *adult* references which were considered risqué, especially in the context of the time when the book was first published.
  • Alcohol and Drug Use: The Great Gatsby portrays a lifestyle of lavish parties and excessive alcohol consumption during the Prohibition era. This depiction of alcohol use and the associated culture has been a point of contention.
  • Moral Decadence and Materialism: Often criticized for its portrayal of the moral decadence and materialism of the 1920s, it paints a picture of a society obsessed with wealth and status, which some argue sets a bad example for students.
  • Depictions of Violence: There are instances of violence in the novel, including domestic violence and a car accident resulting in death. These scenes have been cited as reasons for the book being challenged or banned.

    • This edition of The Great Gatsby offers a comprehensive exploration of both the allure and the controversies of Fitzgerald's iconic work, making it an invaluable addition for readers seeking to understand the novel in the context of contemporary debates and societal reflections.

    • Creators

    • Series

      Contested Classics

    • Publisher

    • Languages

      • English

    • Reviews

      • Publisher's Weekly

        Starred review from December 2, 2002
        Audio reviews reflect PW's assessment of the audio adaptation of a book and should be quoted only in reference to the audio version. Fiction THE GREAT GATSBY F. Scott Fitzgerald, read by Tim Robbins. Caedmon Audio, unabridged, six cassettes, 7 hrs., $27.95 ISBN 0-06-009890-2 Readers in that sizeable group of people who think The Great Gatsby
        is the Great American Novel will be delighted with Robbins's subtle, brainy and immensely touching new reading. There have been audio versions of Gatsby
        before this—by Alexander Scourby and Christopher Reeve, to name two—but actor/director Robbins brings a fresh and bracing vision that makes the story gleam. From the jaunty irony of the title page quote ("Lover, gold-hatted, high-bouncing lover, I must have you!") to the poetry of Fitzgerald's ending about "the dark fields of the republic" and "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past," Robbins conjures up a sublime portrait of a lost world. And as a bonus, the excellent audio actor Robert Sean Leonard reads a selection of Fitzgerald's letters to editors, agents and friends which focus on the writing and selling of the novel. Listeners will revel in learning random factoids, e.g., in 1924, Scott and Zelda were living in a Rome hotel that cost just over $500 a month, and he was respectfully suggesting that his agent Harold Ober ask $15,000 from Liberty
        magazine for the serial rights to Gatsby.

      • Publisher's Weekly

        February 22, 2010
        Robertson Dean's rich, deep voice sweeps us into this classic with the same straightforward narrative elegance Fitzgerald gives his narrator, Nick Carraway. Dean manages to be moving without dramatic exaggeration, and to distinguish characters, male and female, without resort to stereotyping. He reifies Jay Gatsby in all his ambition and naïveté, and paints Fitzgerald's complex picture of love, power, money, and hypocrisy with simple sonority. This audio is a wonderful experience for old fans as well as first-time Fitzgerald readers, and it comes with a companion e-book.

    subjects

    Languages

    • English

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