The Great Gatsby as a Great American Literary Work

            In beginning my thoughts on,  “What makes The Great Gatsby a literary work?” my first question to myself was “what exactly is a literary work?” After reading a few New York Times articles and literature blogs on the topic, I found the adaptation of a quote from Shakespeare’s Twelth Night by Terry Eagleton, that read; “Some texts are born literary, some achieve literariness, and some have literariness thrust upon them." Despite how seemingly unclever the quote was to me at first, it actually resonated much more than many of the other overly complex explanations of what does or does not differentiate between mere writing and a work of literature. The Great Gatsby is a direct reflection of the meaning of this quote in action.

            In context of Fitzgerald’s lifetime, The Great Gatsby would not have been considered a literary work for it was not a huge success as a novel. It gradually gained recognition but when the reoccurrence of the light-hearted, glamorous, and materialistic lifestyle of the 70’s occurred and mirrored similar societal issues and technological advances as those that were present in the roaring 20’s, the consideration of the relevance and literary aspects of Gatsby surfaced within American society. The classic American ideals that take precedence in the novel are among the elements that create a timeless piece of writing. So, The Great Gatsby was not necessarily “born” as a literary work because it had not reached a point at which it would neither be old enough nor filled with enough of a sense of nostalgia that makes it a top work of American literature today or be a prime example of a an author’s success in writing such an evocative piece.

            The idea that the novel is like a glimpse into an era that can never be retrieved again is something that gives the work a heightened quality of intrigue to an audience of nearly any age, in any subsequent time period. Each generation, each individual, and the circumstances under which the audience reads the novel can evoke new and different emotional and intellectual realizations based on any combination of these factors. As expressed by class discussion as well, the circumstances that the plot and character traits are discussed in can shift the point of view and the audience’s judgments; while one person may take sides with Nick and choose to judge the lifestyle of Gatsby through Nick’s eyes, another person may sympathize with Gatsby and see Nick to be no less at fault than the rest of the characters for their actions.

            A literary work is a work that can be reapplied and reanalyzed, and timelessly spoken about between many walks and ages of life within the American culture. The Great Gatsby has carved a place within American literature because of its ability to be an example of great conversational character development and a story that describes the discerning qualities of a long-past era. A literary work, no matter the culture in which it is presented, is something that accurately and eloquently relates and translates a different place and time to the audience.