I’ve been reflecting on the variety of standards and preferences among my readers and decided I had better issue a disclaimer about F. Scott Fitzgerald’s writings.
Some people may find Fitzgerald’s material distasteful and inappropriate for their families. His characters are generally not designed to serve as positive role models for our children. If that is your primary motivation in selecting literature, you need to look elsewhere.
However, his writing is very moralistic in the sense that he is constantly judging and evaluating his characters, and they often serve as negative role models—as examples to avoid—particularly if you discuss the stories with your older students. Remember that he was writing from 1919-1941, when censorship was pretty strong, so there is no explicit material in his stories and books, although there is an occasional d**n.
I can’t imagine a high-school or higher level study of the early twentieth century in America being complete without at least The Great Gatsby. Whether or not you care for the Jazz Age, if you want to understand it, you must read Fitzgerald. And if you want to appreciate sheer stylistic genius, you ought to read Fitzgerald.
Mary Jo
My back will hurt too, if I’m here too long. I find that good posture, a good chair and a stool for my feet really help. I hope this helps you! 🙂