Just read that 'The Great Gatsby' was a total flop when it first came out

I found that in a footnote of a biography about F. Scott Fitzgerald. How did our book club spend three meetings arguing about its 'instant classic' status?

3 comments

3 Comments

masona621mo agoMost Upvoted

That footnote really shows how history rewrites itself, doesn't it? The book sold poorly and Fitzgerald died thinking it was a failure. Makes you wonder which of today's forgotten novels will be taught in schools a century from now.

tylerw721mo ago

Wow that footnote really got me. Always thought Gatsby was this huge hit right away, you know? The whole book club debate feels silly now. Makes you question what else we get wrong about "classic" art. Kind of sad Fitzgerald never knew how big it would become.

ivan_perez5d ago

Right there with you @tylerw72, my whole film class argued about Citizen Kane's instant impact, which also bombed at first.