Why is Fitzgeralds work still relevant to Generation X and Y readers?
KC – “For starters, Fitzgerald was fascinated with youth, and he was one of the first to recognize the insidious way American culture has tended to mistake growing up for growing old. I think young readers always identify with the sense of being on the far side of a generational divide, of having been born into a period of in which everything is new and rapidly changing – and to that end I think these generations appreciate him. Most of all, however, is the romance. Fitzgerald makes love cool for young people – he is the poet of both its glamour and its sadness. For all the arch cynicism we are apt to mask our feelings behind in our early twenties, people want to feel emotions that are rich and powerful but not sentimental, and Fitzgerald’s profound awareness that the lachyrmose is cathartic is one of his richest legacies.” Abe – Personally, which of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works do you think is his best? KC – “Honestly, I would vote for Tender Is the Night. Gatsby is hard to argue again
