Gatsby parties are common, but this one stands out for its extravagance—the expected outlay was $20,000—and the particular irony of its locale. F. Scott Fitzgerald, who wrote The Great Gatsby after dropping out of Princeton, once called the school "the pleasantest country club in America," which is one of those great insults that sounds like a compliment to those being held out for criticism.


geneusutwerk:

Maybe I have too much faith in the world, but I'd imagine these parties (not including the corporate ones) are named that way ironically (or it is all just done tongue-in-cheek). I think the fact that the novel is supposed to be a rallying cry against decadence is why they are called Gatsby parties. Everyone wants to sort of celebrate the absurdity of wealth, because only the truly wealthy can do that.

Although I don't really remember the Great Gatsby well enough for me to feel assured in my statement being right.


posted 4000 days ago