A contemporary classic...
For some, this day is like any other Friday...
The end of a busy work week... the beginning of a fun-filled weekend... a celebrated day of birth...
One of America's most famous authors, F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on this day. His contributions to American literature, though only a mere five novels, the last of which he never completed but was published posthumously, deemed him widely regarded as one of the twentieth century's greatest writers.
I can remember high school, junior year, English class... Mr. McLaughlin first introduced his work to me. The Great Gatsby was required reading that year and I fell in love with the book from the first page.
The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald's most celebrated classic, captures all the romance and glitter of the Jazz Age. In this portrayal of a young man and his tragic search for love and success, the setting is Long Island's North Shore and New York City during the summer of 1922. Not only a rare combination of literary masterpiece and one of the most popular novels of all time, it also presents an unprecedented critique of the American Dream.
In 1974, a movie of The Great Gatsby became the third filmed version of the novel which starred Robert Redford as Jay Gatsby and Mia Farrow as Daisy Buchanan. This particular rendition is my favorite memorable classic, with its stellar cast, their haunting performances and the radiant and refined costumes. After all, it emanated the roaring Twenties, a time when fashion was at a peak hand in hand with the surge of feminism as the economy soared. Undoubtedly, the film won an Academy Award for costume design.
It is still such an inspiration to me, both in print and on screen, conjuring up a reminiscent mix that has guaranteed contemporary classics for young and old alike... xoxo-Sonya
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