details...details...

[dominique02]

I understand that the Great Gatsby is supposed to be a literary masterpiece, but I find the attention to even the minutest detail in the play so incredibly daunting to get through. As Nick is recounting his experiences, which even he states at one point were seemingly unimportant to him, I find it unlikely that he could so vividly remember everything and anything that happened in these experiences that he admittedly gave little mind to. The attention to color, tone, physical characteristics, and personality in the novel is done incredibly in depth, but I feel as though this attention to every single detail takes away from Nick's purpose, which is not to tell a brilliantly detailed story, but rather to expose something about that story through the events that happened. In the pursuit of achieving this purpose, so much detail, I feel, is personally unnecessary as it easily detracts the reader from the true point of the work. I get lost every time I read it.

[jillianb02]

I fully agree with you, the attention placed on small details is quite difficult to get through. However, we have to remember that this is a novel based on Nick's memory. As we said in class, memory is never fully accurate because it has strong emotional ties and so certain elements will be exaggerated while others will be forgotten or minimized. You said that it is unlikely that Nick would be able to remember with such detail the things he gave so little mind to. I do not think this is true because the things that Nick "gave little mind to" were his personal stories, and these he does not describe in detail; he hardly describes them at all. The things he so vividly describes are the things that are significant to him, and to his role as a narrator. They might not be fully accurate (because memory is altered to suit the needs of the "rememberer") but they are significant to the telling of the story.
While the details are tedious to get through they serve an important role in Nick's narration; they set the tone of the piece and give us insight into the characters. For example hearing Gatsby's name is one thing, understanding the people who come to his parties and how he interacts with them is crucial to understanding why Gatsby acts the way he does.
I liked the way in which you distinguished between telling a story and exposing something about a story through events that happen. What do you think Nick is trying to expose?

[jordynz2]

I agree, I believe that the details are very important. The details give the reader a mental picture of the setting in the story as well. I enjoy the use of colors, and although I realize that many of the colors may be innacurate, the use of the color paints a picture of the scene. We also talked about Nick being the "perfect narrorator" this is because he takes himseld completely out of the story and focuses on the "important" characters. This leads me to believe that many of his memories regarding color, details, people present and the weather may be accurate. He does show a bias toward Gatsby because he likes him so much, but the details support his views. They help to foreground the themes and tones in the book. I really enjoy them, also the person who had the book before me underlined every color word and its really interesting how much color there really is! Color gives life and energy to a story and this story mirrors the society it came from, the 20's where colorful and gilded.

[DOMINIQUE G]

To answer Jillian, I haven't finished the book so I'm not sure what Nick is trying to expose really. But honestly, there really isn't a point in retelling a story simply for the sake of retelling it. There has to be some underlying emotion or meaning behind that story which compels you to recreate thae story in your mind, and describe it in such intricate detail. Fitzgerald, I believe, through Nick's perspective, is trying to show the audince an underlying message within the text.

[michelleb07]

I agree with Jordyn that the details are important. Usually I can't stand details and find them tedious to read, but the more symbolism and imagery that comes as we read the book makes the details more interesting. I like it because I feel like Gatsby is one of those books you can't read just once. Everytime you read it you'll find something you missed before. It's considered one of the greatest American novels and while I'm sure that it's a result of how well it portrays the time period, I also feel it has to do with the creativity and originality behind Fitzgerald's work. I've never read a book where every little word had so much depth and detail and I feel it contributes to the mystery and intrigue in the novel.