The Great Gala
Friday, March 1 | 7-9:00 pm
Great Overland Station, 701 N. Kansas Ave.

If you’re like me you’ve probably spent February reading, discussing and experiencing The Great Gatsby and the Roaring Twenties.

Did you know that the Library is partnering with the Great Overland Station to throw a “Gatsby” inspired party to celebrate the end of The Big Read? The Big Read is a National Endowment for the Arts-sponsored community reading initiative that unites the community around one book.

The Great Gala will be a great time to put on your “Gatsby style” and enjoy a delightful evening set in the Roaring Twenties: live music, dance, food and drink. (Alcoholic beverages for sale.) Be our guest at this free First Friday Artwalk event. Dress in 1920s style. Let the Great Overland Station, with its Art Deco details, will inspire you to learn the Charleston as you swing with Cliff Manning and the One O’Clock Jump band. Share the event with others; use this electronic flier.

In preparation for the Gala, I started exploring women’s fashion during the Roaring Twenties so I would know what to wear! What i discovered was that fashion during the 1920s was about rebellion. Women were entering the workforce, cutting their hair, shortening their hemlines, and ditching the corsets.

The most recognizable women’s outfit during the 1920s was the flapper dress. Flapper dresses was sleek, straight, loose and sleeveless. These dresses had a dropped waistline below the hips and were made for dancing.

Another trend that started during the 1920s was the boyish figure. The formfitting corset were replaced by a chemise or camisole and the dresses became a shapeless silhouette with no waistlines.

Here are some tips to help you create your own Roaring Twenties inspired look for The Great Gala:

• women wore dresses that were loose and not fitted
• waistlines dropped below the hips or had no waistline at all
• necklines tended to be square or straight
• hemlines became shorted with pleats, gathers or slits for dancing
• hats were close and cropped, fitting head

Remember the 1920s was a time to let your hair down and throw caution to the wind! Embrace your inner flapper and join Topeka as we celebrate the end of The Big Read with our Great Gatsby inspired Gala.

The Great Gala
Friday, March 1 | 7-9:00 pm  |  Great Overland Station, 701 N. Kansas Ave.
(free, ample parking provided at The Great Overland Station)
For more information about The Great Gala, please contact the Library at 580-4486.

Some familiar selections may include It Had To Be You, I Get a Kick Out of You and Sunnyside of the Street, as well as several other tunes from the Great American Songbook, in homage to this year’s Big Read novel, The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Both vocal and instrumental pieces will be performed.

“We’re hoping to leave 2013 outside and whisk away to 1922 when the book takes place,” Hagenbach said. “We’re going to have a great time.”

She, her trio of musicians and her KC book club players will personify characters from the novel as she tells the story through song, dialog and period costuming in three acts.

Hagenbach is a Kansas City resident, an international touring artist and former model. She started pursuing her career in music in 1990. She’s been praised for her vocal range and intensity. Her life experiences have contributed to her most recent CD, The Way They Make Me Feel.

The ensemble performing with her Feb. 24 consists of Danny Embrey, guitar and musical director; Charles Williams, piano and vocals; and young Zack Beeson, upright bass.

The B.O.R.E.A.L.I.S. Book Club Players are Angela Hagenbach, vocals and narrator; Rebecca Ehrich, as Myrtle Wilson; Steve Matlock, as Nick Carraway; Robert Kemper, as Tom Buchanan; Willow, as Daisy Buchanan; and Patty Nast Cantor, as Jordan Baker.

The performance is presented in partnership with The Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) designed to restore reading to the center of American culture. The NEA presents The Big Read in partnership with Arts Midwest. For more information, visit tscpl.org/bigread.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is a 21st-century landmark library and includes the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, the Millennium Café, Chandler Booktique, meeting rooms and free computer/Internet access. Hours are Mon. through Fri. 9am to 9pm, Sat. 9am to 6pm and Sun. 12pm to 9pm.

Fitzgerald, whose financial success came from publishing short stories for national magazines, published The Great Gatsby in 1925, his third novel. “It’s nothing but a short story,” Kathy said, adding if it had been categorized as such she’d feel better about the acclaim surrounding Gatsby, which comes in just under 200 pages (The length may entice reluctant readers.). But alas, The Great Gatsby is often referred to as a “Great American Novel,” and it is certainly considered Fitzgerald’s masterpiece.

Diana, while certainly not lofty in her praise, does see the value in this book. “Often in high schools, it’s a young person’s first experience with classic American literature. It means something different at different stages of your life, so it’s just as good for a re-read as it is for a first read,” Diana said.

While they surely disagreed, both ladies found common ground when discussing the lack of character development and mentioned how there’s really no one in the novel to relate to. Fitzgerald really did create a bunch of scoundrels when he wrote this book.

The women could also positively agree that the line-up of programming the community can take advantage of (through March 2) is phenomenal. 28 programs are centered around the Roaring Twenties and Jazz Age. There are author talks, jazz performances and movies, all free, plus a Great Gala March 1 at The Great Overland Station. Full schedule of Big Read events here.

Kathy recommends The House of Mirth for a similar story though better read, written by Edith Wharton.

All Booked Up Rating (It’s a split!):
Worn and Tattered from Kathy
High Heels from Diana

We are encouraging everyone to read The Great Gatsby this February as we incorporate The Roaring Twenties and Gatsby‘s themes into book talks and other events.

Lilies in the Moonlight
Fun-loving flapper Lilly Margolis has had many gentlemen callers. Cullen Burnside, a disfigured veteran of The Great War, is determined not to be one of them. Wealth, decorum and beauty separate the two. Author Allison Pittman cleverly uses Cullen’s mother, who’s slipping into dementia, to draw the two together.

As Lilly and Cullen begin to redefine their own perspectives on faith and duty to family, the two embark on a road trip to reunite Lilly with her estranged mother. This spiritual story of healing and strength  – with a bit of fun thrown in – is a breezy tale of freedom and redemption containing characters you won’t forget.

The House of Mirth
Written in 1905, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Edith Wharton tells the story of Lily Barton who is torn between living a lavish and plush lifestyle and a relationship based on love and admiration.

Lily is a smart, beautiful and poor young woman, but high society is her weakness. In the beginning,  Lily is in good social standing and rejects many offers of marriage. But as Lily nears 30, she realizes that she must marry someone in high society to fulfill her needs.

Similar to Daisy in The Great Gatsby, Lily chooses wealth over love with dire consequences.
Review written by Kathy Jennings  

Bobbed Hair and Bathtub Gin
Oh those madcap Jazz Age writers!

The insults fly (Alexander Woollcott to Edna Ferber wearing a tailored suit: “Why, Edna, you look almost like a man.” “So do you,” she replied), the gin flows and the quips are unending as Marion Meade takes you on a boisterous romp through the 1920s.

Meade chronologically explores the private and public lives of Zelda Fitzgerald, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Dorothy Parker and Edna Ferber as they drink, love, laugh, attempt suicide, feud, flee the country, pose for nude pictures, and oh yes, actually write their way through the decade.

Of course underneath the façade of talent and wit lay alcoholism, mental illness, and unrequited love, which lends this highly entertaining and lively book a certain poignancy.

Check out this nonfiction book today!
Review written by Julie Nelson

Rules of Civility
The story begins on New Year’s Eve 1937. Katey Kontent and her friend Eve Ross meet the wealthy Tinker Grey at a low-rent bar. It’s New York City; status and wealth, accents and manners are important here. Tinker is from old money, working in the bank his grandfather founded.

Eve’s from the Midwest, and her willful independence is established early with quotes like “I’m willing to be under anything, as long as it’s not somebody’s thumb.” Our narrator Katey is a Brooklyn native and gifted with words, although at 25 she’s stuck in a Wall Street secretarial pool. Eve introduces her thusly: “Katey’s the hottest bookworm you’ll ever meet.” Although Katey and Tinker connect immediately, Eve obviously wants him for herself.  Everyone’s path is altered by this encounter and the surprising and devastating effects of what comes after it.
Read more from this review written by Lissa Staley

Fitzgerald wanted to write about money and the effect money has on a character. The Great Gatsby was his outlet. “In our current economy, Gatsby has a lot of lessons to teach us about greed and ambition,” Curnutt said.

He promises to delve into Fitzgerald’s life, his tempestuous marriage, his written works, including The Great Gatsby, and what the critics had to say. The presentation includes video clips from the ‘20s, movie trailers, illustrations and time for questions at the end. “I’ll also talk about the era and why the era is relevant today.”

Curnutt has been researching Fitzgerald since 1993, when he joined the English department at Troy University, Montgomery, Ala., Zelda Fitzgerald’s hometown. His presentation is a signature event of The Big Read, a reading initiative that unites the community around one single book.

“There’s an appeal to The Great Gatsby. People don’t throw Grapes of Wrath-style parties,” he said, adding Fitzgerald helped make the flapper movement a national fade in his debut novel This Side of Paradise. For more flapper stories, check out The Best Early Stories, a collection of short stories that are fun, romantic and have an element of fantasy. Fitzgerald is also credited with coining the term “Jazz Age.”

The library was one of 78 organizations nationwide to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and will have hundreds of copies of The Great Gatsby available to read. Curnutt’s latest book Dixie Noir, a mystery set in Montgomery, is available to check out from the library.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library is a 21st-century landmark library and includes the Alice C. Sabatini Gallery, the Millennium Café, Chandler Booktique, meeting rooms and free computer/Internet access. Hours are Mon. through Fri. 9am to 9pm, Sat. 9am to 6pm and Sun. 12pm to 9pm.

The National Endowment for the Arts was established by Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. To date, the NEA has awarded more than $4 billion to support artistic excellence, creativity, and innovation for the benefit of individuals and communities. The NEA extends its work through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector. To join the discussion on how art works, visit the NEA at arts.gov.

Arts Midwest promotes creativity, nurtures cultural leadership, and engages people in meaningful arts experiences, bringing vitality to Midwest communities and enriching people’s lives. Based in Minneapolis, Arts Midwest connects the arts to audiences throughout the nine-state region of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. One of six non-profit regional arts organizations in the United States, Arts Midwest’s history spans more than 25 years. For more information, please visit artsmidwest.org.        

GO TO MAIN BIG READ PAGE>>>

Roaring Twenties Film Series | Kids Programming

Friday, February 1 | 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Sabatini Gallery
The Great Gatsby First Friday ArtWalk
Enjoy music of The Great Gatsby era, along with refreshments and conversations about art.

Friday, February 1 | 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101A and First Friday ArtWalk Galleries
Big Read Great Gatsby Kick-Off Event
Join us for a reception to launch our community wide reading of The Great Gatsby. Enjoy music of the era, refreshments and conversations about the book. At 6:30 pm, a showing of the 1974 film starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow will be shown in Marvin 101BC.

Saturday, February 2 | 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM | Fairlawn Plaza Mall
Big Read Great Gatsby Roaring in 1920s Classic Car Show
Browse through classic cars of the 1920s era. At noon dancers from The Dance Factory perform. Be on the lookout for a gang of Charleston-dancin’ mobsters. Take part in some fun photo opps and have a roaring good time.

Monday, February 4 | 1:00–3:00 PM |  Marvin Auditorium 101BC
Knit/Crochet a Gatsby-era Cloche & Discuss the Book
Make a 1920′s fashion statement. Learn how to knit or crochet a cloche hat. Patterns and basic instruction provided. Be fashionably dressed for The Big Read in February when we read and discuss The Great Gatsby. Knit or crochet along online.

Wednesday, Feb 6 |  7:00–8:00 PM  |  Menninger Room 206
Kansas Brewers and Breweries
Cindy Higgins, local journalist and Kansas historian, presents the history of Kansas brewers and breweries. Check out her book on the topic at catalog.tscpl.org.

Saturday, February 9 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101B
Art Deco Zentangles
Teens and adults will learn the creative process and study 1920s Art Deco to inspire your zentangle designs. A zentangle is way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is enjoyed by all ranges of skill, interest and age and often inspired by Art Deco designs.

Sunday, February 10 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101ABC
Remembering Gatsby and Fitzgerald
The Big Read book of the year comes to life via a multimedia, historical discussion on the author F. Scott Fitzgerald and his classic novel, The Great Gatsby. Bring your questions to stump our librarians.

Wednesday,  February 13  |  7:00–8:30 PM  | Lingo Story Room
Wednesday, February 20 | 1:30–3:00 PM  | Marvin Auditorium 101C
Fashion Plates 1920′s Style
Using reproductions of fashion plates from our collection of 1920’s magazines, participants will add a swash of watercolor or some shades of colored pencil to create a frameable Gatsby-style artwork. Registration required 580-4606.

Thursday, February 14 | 7:00–8:00 PM |  Marvin Auditorium 101C
Aaron Douglas The Ray of Hope
Explore the creative expression of this artist often called the Father of African-American Art. Learn of his early influences in Topeka as well as his adult life in New York during the  Harlem Renaissance. Presented by Joan Wilson, Brown v Board Ranger.

Sunday, February 17 | 1:00 PM – 2:30 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101ABC
Big Read presents Keynote Kirk Curnutt
Author-scholar and Fitzgerald expert will give a keynote lecture on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life, works, cultural context, and critical reception.

Thursday, February 21 |  7:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Brown v Board of Education National Historic Site
The Evolution of Jazz
Dennis Winslett, professional musician and historian, will highlight the Jazz Age, music of the Gatsby period, and the evolution of Jazz. Cosponsored by Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site.

Saturday, February 23 | 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101C
Author Laura Moriarty
The Kansas novelist introduces her latest title, The Chaperone, a captivating story about the woman who chaperoned an irreverent Louise Brooks to New York City in 1922. The author discusses writing about characters set in the 1920s and any comparison or influence of The Great Gatsby.

Sunday, February 24  | 2:00–3:30 PM  | The World Cup Café, 21st and Washburn
Coffee with Gatsby
Coffee + you = a great discussion of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Join us to talk about this classic jazz age book over food and drink. Registration required. Contact Erin at 580-4425.

Sunday, February 24 | 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM  | Marvin Auditorium 101ABC
Angela Hagenbach and The Great Gatsby
The Big Read presents Angela Hagenbach, KC jazz singer extraordinaire, who returns to help celebrate the wonderful novel, The Great Gatsby. Ms. Hagenbach brings a unique look at the music, story, and culture of The Great Gatsby.

Tuesday, February 26 |  7:00 PM – 8:30 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101C
Art & Architecture of the 1920s
Topeka is rich with art and architecture from the period of Gatsby. Come for a very visual presentation. Continue the experience with a self-directed auto tour (maps provided) of Topeka buildings exhibiting Art Deco and other architectural elements of the 1920s.

February 26 – March 3, 2013 | Around Town
The self directed auto tour of the 1920s architecture in Topeka will be continuing throughout the month following the introduction program on February 26 (above). Check tscpl.org/bigread for a map and more details as they become available.

Tuesday, February 26  |  7:00–8:30 PM  |  PT’s Coffee17th and Washburn
Bean There, Read That
Join this book group for folks in their 20s and 30s. Relive book discussions from your English classes, but with books you want to and honestly will read this time – plus food and drink (alcoholic or otherwise). This month we’ll be reading our Big Read selection The Great Gatsby. Provide your own copy or pick one up at the Reference Desk, first come, first-served.

Thursday, February 28 | 1:00–2:30 PM | Hughes Room 205
Big Read Great Gatsby Book Discussion
Discuss The Great Gatsby. What makes Gatsby tick? Why so much secrecy surrounding his past? What do you think are some of the fundamental lessons to be learned from this classic novel? Bring your thoughts and opinions to this discussion.

Friday, March 1 |  7:00 PM – 9:00 PM |  The Great Overland Station
The Great Gala at the Great Overland Station
It’s time to put on your “Gatsby style” and enjoy a delightful evening set in the RoaringTwenties: music, dance, food, drink  and an Art Deco exhibit. Be our guest at this NOTO First Friday event and dress in 1920′s style. The Great Overland Station locale will inspire you to learn the Charleston as you swing with Cliff Manning and the One O’Clock Jump band. The Fuzion School of Dance and Dance Factory students will perform. Catered by Abouds. Bar service available for purchase.

Saturday, March 2 | 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM | Marvin Auditorium
Queen Bey Stars in Bessie’s Blues
Hailed as Kansas City’s Ambassador of Jazz, Queen Bey brings to life the legendary Bessie Smith the most popular female blues singer of the 1920s. She and a trio of musicians will perform. Learn about the life and career of Bessie Smith. The show is directed by Kevin Willmott, professor of film at The University of Kansas

Film Series

Friday, February 1 | 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101BC
Big Read Film Series – The Great Gatsby (1974)
Our film series will include a screening of The Great Gatsby at our Kick-off event for our First Friday ArtWalk evening. A showing every Friday night of other versions and related films will be held at the Library.

Friday, February 8 |  6:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101BC
Big Read Film Series – Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)

Friday, February 15 |  6:30 PM – 8:45 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101BC
Big Read Film Series – Chicago (2002)

Friday, February 22 |  6:30 PM – 8:45 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101BC
Big Read Film Series – Midnight in Paris (2011)

Events for Kids and Teens

Monday, February 4 | 3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Story Zone
Wonderstruck: Wonders in the Making
We will be encouraging our 8-12 year olds to read an era companion book, Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick. At this program they craft items represented things found in a Cabinet of Wonders.

Monday, February 11  | 4:00–5:00 PM  | Marvin Auditorium 101AB
Great Gatsby Party [11–18 years]
Be like Gatsby and step back into the 1920s with music, dancing, food and fashion of the time. While you are there get your gangster on with a game of poker or some target practice (nerf gun style).

Tuesday, February 12 |  3:30 PM – 5:00 PM | Story Zone
Wonderstruck: Wonderful Words
This program for tweens focuses on different ways of communicating: hieroglyphics, sign language, slang words from the 20′s, the 60/70′s, and today.

Monday, February 25 | 3:30–4:30 PM |  The Edge
Flapper Headbands [12–18 years]
Capture some Gatsby glamour by making a 1920’s flapper headband. Use beads, ribbon, feathers and more to create beautiful and fashionable headbands inspired by the book The Great Gatsby.

Tuesday, February 26 | 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Lingo Story Room
Wonders Revealed
Children 8-12 will get a chance to enter the forbidden tomb just like the characters experience in this captivating book.

Saturday, February 9 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM | Marvin Auditorium 101B
Art Deco Zentangles
Teens and adults will learn the creative process and study 1920s Art Deco to inspire your zentangle designs. A zentangle is way of creating beautiful images from repetitive patterns. It is enjoyed by all ranges of skill, interest and age and often inspired by Art Deco designs.

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

What makes up the American Dream? Writer F. Scott Fitzgerald certainly had an opinion of that dream in the 1920s. The Great Gatsby is his interpretation of it and its limitations. More specifically, he wrote about the leisure class in their 20s and 30s, of which he was a member. Perhaps this classic novel is so widely read because it also tackles the theme of American character or lack thereof. Money and power does not always equal happiness for Jay Gatsby. The reader begins to question whether the illusions Fitzgerald’s characters believe real are worth the price they pay to find out.

Set in 1920s New York, The Great Gatsby‘s scathing satire of the newly minted “nouveau riche” class is narrated by Nick Carraway, a recent Midwest transplant and neighbor of the elusive, party-throwing Gatsby.

Gatsby is secretive and filthy rich, choosing to hide how he came by his enormous wealth from most of his weekly partygoers, who really couldn’t care less anyway. Fitzgerald is a master at weaving in the details of the poshness of the time period through vivid descriptions of the mansion’s décor, the attire of its visitors, and Gatsby’s own signature yellow convertible.

The reader views the story through Nick’s Yale graduate eyes and learns that Gatsby has loved and lost and still loves a married woman named Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby convinces Nick, Daisy’s cousin, to invite Daisy to tea. The ex-couple, upon being reintroduced, start up an affair.

Daisy’s husband Tom, not being a fool, begins to suspect his wife’s infidelity and in the process digs up the unsavory source of Gatsby’s wealth. Driving back from New York with Gatsby, Daisy strikes and kills a woman during an emotional conversation about their affair. Gatsby shoulders the blame for the killing.

What happens next is the one of the many reasons this book is worth reading again and again. Will Gatsby win Daisy back and be acquitted? Will his riches and power come to his aid? Will true love and material possession last?

Major Characters in the Novel

• Nick Caraway Nick, a young Midwesterner educated at Yale, is the novel’s narrator. When he moves to the West Egg area of Long Island, he joins the lavish social world of Tom, Jordan, Gatsby, and his cousin Daisy.
• Jay Gatsby The handsome, mysterious Gatsby, who lives in a mansion next door to Nick’s cottage, is known for his lavish parties. Nick, whom he trusts, gradually learns about Gatsby’s past and his love for Daisy.
• Daisy Buchanan Beautiful, charming, and spoiled, Daisy is the object of Gatsby’s love. Her caprice and materialism lead her to marry Tom Buchanan.
• Tom Buchanan From an enormously wealthy Chicago family, Tom is a former Yale football star who sees himself at the top of an exclusive social hierarchy. He is conceited, violent, racist, and unfaithful.
• Jordan Baker Daisy’s friend Jordan epitomizes the modern woman of the 1920s. A liberated, competitive golfer, she is firmly established in high society. She both attracts and repels Nick as a romantic interest.
• George Wilson The owner of an auto garage at the edge of the valley of ashes, George finds his only happiness through his faithless wife, Myrtle.
• Myrtle Wilson Myrtle dreams of belonging to a higher social class than George can offer. Vivacious and sensual, she hopes her adulterous affair will lead to a life of glamour.

Nick

• Nick believes he is an honest, nonjudgmental narrator. Discuss the reliability of Nick Carraway as the narrator of The Great Gatsby.
• The novel’s action occurs in 1922 between June and September. How does Nick’s non-chronological narration shape your response to the events surrounding the mystery of Jay Gatsby?
• What is Nick Carraway’s role in the novel? Consider Nick’s father’s advice in chapter one: “Whenever you feel like criticizing anyone, just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.” Does telling the story from Nick’s point of view make it more believable?
• Why did Nick become involved with Jordan, and why did he break off the relationship?

Gatsby

• How is the character of Jay Gatsby presented to the reader?
• What part of his past is Gatsby trying to recapture? Is he successful? Is there a person, feeling, or event in your past that you’d want to revisit? Gatsby believes that the past can be repeated. Is he right?
• What do you think the sad thing that happened to Gatsby might be?
• Is Jay Gatsby great? What is the meaning of the title? In what way is Gatsby great? In other words, is Fitzgerald’s title sincere…or ironic?
• Do you agree with Nick’s final assertion that Gatsby is “worth the whole damn bunch put together”? Why or why not?

Daisy

• What are the implications of Gatsby’s observation that Daisy’s voice is ‘full of money’?
• Why does Daisy sob into the “thick folds” of Gatsby’s beautiful shirts?
• When Nick tells us that Daisy speaks ‘with an expression of unthoughtful sadness’ it is by no means clear what response we should make. What exactly is ‘unthoughtful sadness’? Is it good or bad?
• Perhaps the novel’s climax occurs when Gatsby confronts Tom in New York. Did Daisy’s ultimate choice surprise you? Is it consistent with her character?
• Whom do you think the characters in The Great Gatsby represent? Do they seem like real people? Which characters seem the most real to you? Who, if any, do you find most sympathetic? Most important, in what way do the events of the novel affect Nick Carraway? How, or to what degree, does he change?

Symbolism

• What is the symbolism of the green light that appears throughout the novel (at the end of Daisy’s pier, at intersections throughout the book)?
• Fitzgerald returns several times to describe a decrepit optical products sign – the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleberg — that hovers over “the valley of ashes.” What does that sign represent? What do the faded eyes of Doctor T.J. Eckleburg symbolize? Is there a connection between this billboard and the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock?
• How does Fitzgerald foreshadow the tragedies at the end?

Historical Context

• Does the novel critique or uphold the values of the Jazz Age and the fears of the Lost Generation?
• At the time The Great Gatsby appeared, the production and sale of alcoholic drinks were prohibited in America. What was the outcome of Prohibition? How did it impact upon the nation’s moral standards?
• The 1920s was the decade of ‘the flapper’, the young woman who exercised unprecedented freedom. Is Jordan Baker a ‘flapper’? Why?
• Do you think Jay Gatsby represents the American dream? What do you think Fitzgerald is saying about the American dream in the 1920s? What statement might Fitzgerald be making about the mores or ethos of American culture?

Comparisons

• In what ways does Fitzgerald present a tension between Modernism and Victorianism in The Great Gatsby?
• Compare and contrast the districts of West Egg and East Egg. Discuss.
• Think about the two worlds, the Midwest and the East, as Fitzgerald describes them, and what they represent for Nick and for Gatsby.
• Compare and contrast Gatsby’s social class with that of Tom and Daisy Buchanan. How does geography contribute to the definition of social class in The Great Gatsby?

Fitzgerald

• Fitzgerald wrote, “You don’t write because you want to say something, you write because you have something to say.” What did he have to say in Gatsby?
• Fitzgerald scholar Matthew J. Bruccoli claims: “The Great Gatsby does not proclaim the nobility of the human spirit; it is not politically correct; it does not reveal how to solve the problems of life; it delivers no fashionable or comforting messages. It is just a masterpiece.” Do you agree?
• What makes The Great Gatsby a classic novel? Why has it maintained its place in American literature?

Movie adaptations

• Have you seen any of the movie adaptations? How did seeing a film portrayal of The Great Gatsby change your thoughts about the characters, the setting, or the story?
• Actors Robert Redford, Toby Stevens, Alan Ladd, and Leonardo DiCaprio have all portrayed Jay Gatsby in film interpretations of The Great Gatsby. How do they get it right? Who do you prefer in the role? How do you think Gatsby in the book is different from Gatsby on the big screen? How is the character of Jay Gatsby presented to the reader?
• Actresses Carey Mulligan, Mia Farrow, Betty Field and Mira Sorvino have all portrayed Daisy Buchannan in film interpretations of The Great Gatsby. How did you imagine Daisy while reading the novel? Who would you cast in the role, if you could choose from any actress at any time?
• In the 1974 movie adaptation, Mia Farrow as Daisy tells this story: “And when I was in the delivery room, waking up from the ether, I asked the nurse whether it was a boy or a girl. She said it was a girl – and I turned my head to the side and cried. And then I said, I hope she grows up to be a pretty little fool. That’s about the best a girl can hope for these days, to be a pretty little fool.” How had the hopes for a baby girl changed between The Great Gatsby’s publication in 1925 and the filming of the 1974 movie? How have the hopes for a baby girl changed from 1925 to today?

Readers Guide and Teacher’s Guide available from NEA Big Read. Audio Guide available for download from the NEA Big Read. Download the audio discussion of The Great Gatsby from the library’s HUSH podcast. Discussion questions adapted and compiled from Duluth Public Library, Lit Lovers, Kirkwood Public Library, and Penguin.

The library supports book groups through the Book Group in a Bag collection with over 125 different titles available for reservation.Check out a bag with 10 copies of the same title, plus book discussion resources. Pass out the titles to your book group friends, read and discuss, then collect the books and return the bag to the library. The 6 week checkout length is designed to work well for book groups that meet monthly. About a dozen new titles are added to this collection each year, which means that there is always something fabulous for your group to discuss from Book Group in a Bag, including The Great Gatsby.

The Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library invites the community to experience the Roaring Twenties by reading the “Great American Novel” The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Thanks to a $12,800 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), The Big Read initiative inspires people to pick up a good book and talk about it. The library was one of 78 organizations nationwide to receive a grant and will have hundreds of copies of the book available to read. Books will also be given away at the February1, First Friday ArtWalk and at other signature events all month long.

The Big Read provides many opportunities to experience the post-World War I era by attending events that will entertain both readers and the non-readers. The 1920s-inspired events include a self-guided architectural tour of Topeka’s ‘landmarks, an antique car show, literature discussions and live jazz performances from Feb. 1 to March 2.

“We’re bringing the Jazz Age back. A tribute to Bessie Smith, the female Louis Armstrong of the era, features Kansas City jazz legend Queen Bey at the library. Another extraordinary KC jazz singer, Angela Hagenbach brings her silky smooth voice and authentic period costuming to the library,” said Nancy Overmyer, Event Resources manager. “We invite the whole community to catch the flavor of the era at The Great Overland Station for the Great Gala party, which features live music by Cliff Manning and the One O’Clock Jump, with dance performances by Fusion and The Dance Factory Schools of Dance at the March 2 First Friday ArtWalk.”

These memorable experiences wouldn’t happen without community sponsors, listed on www.tscpl.org/bigread and in the February/March Library News, our bimonthly newspaper. It also includes a complete list of the 29 Big Read events.

Fifty years earlier, Rose also finds herself adrift and alone. Isolated by deafness, confined to the house by her father, Rose spends hours creating cities of intricate paper buildings and dreaming of Lillian Mayhew, the silent film star of the day. When Rose learns her idol is appearing on stage in New York, she slips out of her house and sneaks backstage for a glimpse of the actress. When they meet, we discover why Rose is so determined to see the illusive film star.  And when Lillian angrily tries to send Rose back home, she rebels. Slipping away again, Rose begins anew her search for a place she belongs.

Wonderstruck is two stories in one. Flowing, descriptive text relates Ben’s story; beautiful illustrations portray Rose’s story. Together, words and pictures bring the children’s experiences to life, spark emotions and ignite intrigue. Brian Selznick’s masterfully mixed media tells the story of two children’s search for the place they belong, and when their stories converge, you find indeed, “the world is full of wonders.”