The Great Gatsby in English

F. Scott Fitzgerald

originalC1.8American English · Jazz Age · 1925genreClassicsvibeMelancholyAmbitionLoveaudioUSUK

A young man from the Midwest watches his mysterious rich neighbour try to win back the woman he loved five years ago.

Nick tells the story himself, looking back on one summer. Most chapters are built around a single event: a party, a lunch, an afternoon in a hotel. The narration is thoughtful and full of images, while the dialogue is fast, casual and full of 1920s slang. Fitzgerald moves between polished upper-class talk and the rougher voices of working-class, immigrant and drunken characters. The sentences are short on average, but the language is dense, so a page can take longer than its length suggests.

What kind of book“The Great Gatsby” is

Versions of “The Great Gatsby” in English: B1

Same book, adapted to a level you can read without stopping

levelA1–A2B1–B2C1–C2pagesaudiobook

Vocabulary by level

A1 64%
A2 15%
B1 8%
B2 6%
not in dictionary 4%

A sample from “The Great Gatsby” in English

One passage, the way each version writes it.

Tap any word — we will show the translation

C1.0143 words

“I’ll tell you a family secret,” she whispered enthusiastically. “It’s about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?”

“That’s why I came over tonight.”

“Well, he wasn’t always a butler. He used to polish silver for some people in New York. They had silver dishes, knives and forks for two hundred people. He had to polish it from morning till night, until finally it began to affect his nose—”

“Things went from bad to worse,” suggested Miss Baker.

“Yes. Things went from bad to worse, until finally he had to give up his job.”

For a moment the last sunshine fell with romantic affection on her glowing face. Her voice pulled me forward, and I listened breathlessly. Then the glow faded. Each light left her slowly and unwillingly, with regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk.

B1.7153 words

“I’ll tell you a family secret,” she said in a low, excited voice. “It’s about the butler’s nose. Do you want to hear about the butler’s nose?”

“That’s why I came over tonight.”

“Well, he wasn’t always a butler. His job was to clean and shine the silver for some people in New York. They had silver dishes for two hundred people. He had to rub the silver clean from morning till night. At last it started to hurt his nose—”

“Things got worse and worse,” Miss Baker said.

“Yes. Things got worse and worse, until at last he had to leave his job.”

For a moment the last sunshine fell with warm love on her bright face. Her voice pulled me closer, and I held my breath as I listened. Then the bright light went away. Each light left her slowly and sadly, like children leaving a nice street when night begins.

The same passage at different levelsContinue in the reader

The original language of “The Great Gatsby” and what it gives you

How hard the language is C1.8

We measure the original at C1.8, which is demanding, though the numbers look friendly: the average sentence is only 14.5 words, 64% of the words are A1 and another 15% are A2, and just 5% fall beyond the 5,000 most frequent words. The difficulty is in how the words are used. Fitzgerald writes in figurative, compressed prose, and he mixes it with colloquial speech from several social groups. About 4% of the words are not in the dictionary, mostly slang, names and respelt speech. Adaptations are available at B2 and B1 if you want a gentler start.

What this means in practice: Short and well worth reading, but dense: slow down for the descriptions and read the slang aloud.

What to be ready for

Jazz Age slang. The book is full of 1920s expressions, such as ‘old sport’, and uses ‘gay’ in the sense of lively.

Wolfshiem's speech. Meyer Wolfshiem speaks immigrant New York English with respelt sounds like ‘Oggsford’ and ‘gonnegtion’.

Working-class talk. George and Myrtle use colloquial working-class American speech, and Myrtle sometimes puts on a refined voice.

Drunken speech. At the parties, drunken guests, including Owl Eyes, speak in slurred, broken and repetitive lines.

How to read it and not quit

Read the dialogue aloud: the respelt words such as ‘Oggsford’ make sense when you hear them.
Don't copy the slang. ‘Old sport’ is part of Gatsby's manner; you will not hear it in modern conversation.
When Nick uses an image or comparison, stop and ask what it describes. Much of the meaning is in these figures.
American English is used throughout: check spellings and words such as ‘elevator’ and ‘trunk’ that differ from British usage.

Contents of “The Great Gatsby” · 11 chapters

Dedicationpage 1
Epigraphpage 1
Ipage 1
I (continued)page 12
IIpage 25
II (continued)page 33

All 11 chapters

IIIpage 41
III (continued)page 50
IVpage 62
IV (continued)page 71
Vpage 83
V (continued)page 96
VIpage 100
VI (continued)page 104
VIIpage 115
VII (continued)page 127
VII (continued)page 138
VIIIpage 148
VIII (continued)page 157
IXpage 165
IX (continued)page 177

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The story of “The Great Gatsby”

1924
Written largely in France
Fitzgerald wrote most of the novel while living on the French Riviera in 1924.
1925
Publication and a quiet reception
Scribner's published the book in April 1925. Reviews were mixed and sales were lower than Fitzgerald hoped. He had considered other titles, such as 'Trimalchio in West Egg'.
1926
First film
A silent film version was made, which is now lost.
1940
Fitzgerald dies
Fitzgerald died in 1940 and is generally said to have believed the book had failed. Its reputation grew in the years that followed.
2021
Enters the US public domain
On 1 January 2021 the novel became free of copyright in the United States.

In culture “The Great Gatsby”

10 adaptations and mentions, 1925–2024

1925
In the language The green light
The light at the end of Daisy's dock is now shorthand for a goal that keeps moving away as you reach for it.
1925
In the language 'Gatsby' and 'Gatsbyesque'
Used for a self-made person who reinvents himself and throws huge, lonely parties.
1925
In the language 'Borne back ceaselessly into the past'
The last line is one of the most quoted endings in American writing, used to talk about nostalgia and the cost of trying to repeat the past.
1926
Film The Great Gatsby (silent film)
The first screen version, now considered lost.
1949
Film The Great Gatsby (Alan Ladd)
A Hollywood version with Alan Ladd as Gatsby.
1974
Film The Great Gatsby (Robert Redford)
A lavish film with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, remembered for its costumes.
1999
Stage The Great Gatsby (opera by John Harbison)
An opera that premiered at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
2013
Film The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann)
A colourful, modern-sounding version starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
2013
Music 'Young and Beautiful' (Lana Del Rey)
A song written for the Luhrmann film that gave the story a new audience of pop listeners.
2024
Stage The Great Gatsby (Broadway musical)
A stage musical version that opened on Broadway.

Questions and answers about “The Great Gatsby” in English

What does the green light mean in The Great Gatsby?

The green light at the end of Daisy's dock stands for Gatsby's longing for her and for his belief that the past can be recovered. Fitzgerald never states this directly, so the meaning grows as Gatsby keeps looking at it.

Is The Great Gatsby based on a true story?

No, the plot is invented, but the setting comes from Fitzgerald's own life. He lived on Long Island in the early 1920s, saw the parties and the new money there, and wrote about the world he observed.

Why is Gatsby called ‘great’?

The word is partly admiring and partly ironic. Nick thinks Gatsby is better than the careless people around him, but Gatsby's greatness is also a performance, and readers argue about how much of each the title carries.

What does ‘old sport’ mean?

‘Old sport’ is an affectionate, old-fashioned way of saying ‘friend’. Gatsby uses it all the time, and it is part of the stagey, upper-class manner he has built for himself.

Is Nick Carraway a reliable narrator?

Mostly, but not completely. Nick says he is honest and tries to be fair, yet he leaves things out, admires Gatsby despite disapproving of him, and decides who to like.

Was The Great Gatsby ever banned?

It has been challenged in some US schools and libraries, usually for language and sexual content, but it was never banned across the country. It is one of the most commonly assigned novels in American schools.

Which film is closest to the book?

Both the 1974 film with Robert Redford and the 2013 film by Baz Luhrmann follow the main plot. The 1974 version is quieter, while the 2013 version uses modern music and a flashy style, and puts Nick's words on the screen.

Do I need to know American history to read it?

A little helps. The book assumes you know that alcohol was illegal in the US in the 1920s, which is why Gatsby's money and his friends look suspicious.

Is The Great Gatsby hard to read in English?

It is moderately hard. The sentences are short, but the imagery is dense, and the slang and respelt speech can slow you down. Taking one chapter at a time works well.