Reading List
Sarah Churchwell
Professor of American Literature, University of London
Sarah Churchwell is an American-born scholar of American literature and cultural history who works in Britain, where she is professor of American Literature and Public Understanding of the Humanities at the School of Advanced Study, University of London. Her first book was The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe. Careless People reconstructs the autumn of 1922 behind The Great Gatsby, Behold, America traces the histories of America First and the American Dream, and The Wrath to Come reads Gone with the Wind as a key to American myth. She has judged the Booker Prize.
F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters
by F. Scott Fitzgerald, Matthew J. Bruccoli
“If you really want to understand Fitzgerald you need to hear his own voice. He had a great deal more range than people sometimes think. What I love about A Life in Letters is that it conveys more clearly his sense of humour.” — via Interview, June 2012
The Far Side of Paradise
by Arthur Mizener
“I also think Mizener is one of the best writers among his biographers. Mizener cared about the writing of his book. Moreover, as a thinker and biographer, Mizener brings subtlety and nuance to his approach.” — via Interview, June 2012
Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin
by Marion Meade
“This is Marion Meade’s overview. In some ways, it would be a good book to read first if you want an introduction to the Jazz Age. I think she does a very good job of getting the feel of it, and the organisation is quite clever.” — via Interview, June 2012
The Achieving of The Great Gatsby
by Robert Emmet Long · Literary Criticism
“This is something that many critics have explored at great length, but I think Long does a good job of conveying the main ideas about what Fitzgerald does with his images, themes and metaphors and the importance of symbols in the novel. It’s just a very solid overview of what the main themes and ideas of Gatsby are, so it’s a good introduction for someone trying to get a sense of what all the fuss is about.” — via Interview, June 2012
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby: A Literary Reference
by Matthew J. Bruccoli · Literary Criticism
“This is a collection of historical documents – it’s the book equivalent of an hour-long documentary film that draws on a historical archive to tell you the background and context of a certain work of art.” — via Interview, June 2012
