Questioning the Greatness of ‘Gatsby’

Is ‘The Great Gatsby’ Fitzgerald’s Masterpiece or, as One Critic Says, ‘Aesthetically Overrated, Psychologically Vacant, and Morally Complacent’?

In April 2025, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s immortal novel The Great Gatsby turned 100. What do we make of it? I read it twice last year. I didn’t much enjoy it the first time through but thought I should give it another go. On the second pass, it somehow worked its reputed magic. I still think fondly of that rereading experience.

Coupled with its fascinating …