No Subject

I would disagree with the person who said the book fails to capture the Roaring Twenties. All the themes of the twenties are here--the liberated woman, the tendency towards excess, etc. Remember, when this book hit the shelves women were using it virtually as a handbook. He not only captured the mind of a generation, he anticipated a movement. I think the reason this book is less well-liked than Gatsby, (other than the fact that it's not "clean" stylistically or grammatically), is because of the emotional fluctuations. It's easier to learn about the Twenties in the Great Gatsby without the meddling influence of Catholicism. Personally I like this book for more sentimental reasons--because I like to hold on to the vision of a young man pinning the chapters up to his curtains in his Minnesota home, and then quitting his job the day it was accepted for publication. All F. Scott wanted in his whole life was to be a writer, and this book carries all of his hope and youthful idealism in it.