The Great Gatsby Lecture - Year 13 students dazzled by 'the green light"

Last week, students of Y13 English Literature joined students from several other local schools and colleges for a lecture on F Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece The Great Gatsby, at Reading School.  This was given by noted Gatsby critic Professor Nicolas Tredell and was the second in a pair of lectures which covered all aspects of the text, from the characters, themes and style, to contexts, to how readers and critics have responded differently to the text over time.  Students and teachers were united in their appreciation of the lecture and Professor Tredell's engaging and scholarly delivery, and thoughtful handling of the questions in the Q&A afterwards.  The event provided extremely useful material for revision for upcoming A Level exams, as well as being fascinating in its own right. 

We recommend The Great Gatsby as a novel for all keen readers.  It is often referred to as one of the great American novels and it deals with themes of obsession, ambition and alienation in the frenetic world of 1920s New York.  The film versions are good - the novel is much better!

The English Department