The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald on Gilmore Girls

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Key Details

Genre: literary fiction
Sub-Genres: classic, Jazz Age novel
Tropes: unrequited love
Publication Date:1925
Pages: 180
Themes: love, the American Dream, the past, class, moral decay
Accolades: One of Time Magazines Best 100 Novels of All Time, the Library of Congress’s Books that Shaped America

My Review

The Great Gatsby is the book I (and many others) consider the Great American Novel. It captures the best and worst of the “American Dream” through a man who has it all, except the woman he loves and his past. Life is glamorous on the surface level, and it has its perks, but dark tensions continue to simmer. The dream remains alluring and promising, yet out of reach.

Told by an outsider (Nick Carraway), the story also shows how class divides the characters and how the pursuit of wealth above all else can be tragic.

I also love this book for its heavy symbolism: The green light! The giant eyes! The Valley of Ashes! These all remain some of the most iconic literary symbols.

Gilmore Girls Episodes

Learn where this book on the Gilmore Girls books list was referenced:

Season 3, Episode 11 (“I Solemnly Swear”)

Lorelai and Sookie have this exchange about Sookie’s work friend:
Lorelai: “He’s liked you for ten years?”
Sookie: “Yes.”
Lorelai: “Wow. That is some serious Great Gatsby pining.”
Sookie: “I know.”
Lorelai: “You’re his Daisy.”
Sookie: “I am? I’m his Daisy. I’m someone’s Daisy.”

Famous Last Line

“So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.”

Book Review

Plot Description

The Great Gatsby tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy, mysterious man who throws lavish parties to reunite with his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.

Nick Carraway, Gatsby’s neighbor, narrates the novel and becomes drawn into the world of wealth and illusion surrounding Gatsby and Daisy. Set in the Jazz Age, Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy ultimately leads to tragedy, revealing the emptiness beneath the upper class’s glittering surface. In the end, Nick realizes that the American Dream was built on illusion and destined to fail.

Why It Matters on Gilmore Girls

While the classics are often reserved for Rory, here, The Great Gatsby is so well read, that even pop culture enthusiasts Lorelai and Sookie can riff about its themes and characters. It’s a classic for readers of all kinds.

Who It’s Best For

The Great Gatsby is a quick, easy classic that readers of all types can enjoy without intimidation. Readers of all genders with a high school reading level or above should read this exceptional classic. It’s well worth it for anyone who wants to be well-read. In many ways, it represents modern American history.

Reading Tips

Know the history: The Great Gatsby wasn’t an initial success. Fitzgerald died in 1940 before it became widely popular during World War II.
If you’re looking to pair this book with an adaptation, the 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio is very well done, with lots of glittering eye candy!
Also, if you want to immerse yourself in an audio version, Audible has an original one, read by actor Jake Gyllenhaal, that was an Audie Award Finalist. The F. Scott Fitgerald also released centennial readings of it by famous actos.
Get in the spirit with some Taylor Swift songs like “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things” (“Feeling so Gatsby for that whole year”) and “Don’t Blame Me” (“now I’m your daisy.”). The Great Gatsby is a book that both Taylor Swift and Gilmore Girls reference!
Venture behind the scenes with this article: On My Grandfather’s Novel: F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby at 100. Some unique family insights!
Read my book of the year 2025, Heart the Lover by Lily King, a book for book lovers, which references it particularly through a character’s nickname.