Old School with Shilo Brooks What ‘The Great Gatsby’ Taught Fareed Zakaria About America
Fareed Zakaria, a renowned journalist and political commentator, discusses the impact of 'The Great Gatsby' on American culture and his personal journey as an Indian immigrant. He describes the novel as a lens for understanding America's allure of reinvention and the American dream. They dive deep into themes of wealth, moral ambiguity, and the spiritual hollowness that accompanies success. Zakaria also critiques modern journalism, lamenting the shift towards quick, sensational content over in-depth analysis.
01:01:54
Gatsby As Immigrant Lens
- Fareed Zakaria discovered The Great Gatsby at Yale after reading mostly British literature in India.
- The novel helped him make sense of America and his immigrant experience.
Reinvention's Hollow Core
- Gatsby embodies American reinvention through complete self-making and name change.
- His glamour masks a hollow core that becomes evident when no one attends his funeral.
Wealth≠Wisdom In America
- American culture often conflates wealth with wisdom and virtue.
- Gatsby shows wealth can create glamour without delivering true happiness.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app 1 chevron_right 2 chevron_right 3 chevron_right 4 chevron_right 5 chevron_right 6 chevron_right 7 chevron_right 8 chevron_right 9 chevron_right 10 chevron_right 11 chevron_right 12 chevron_right 13 chevron_right 14 chevron_right 15 chevron_right 16 chevron_right 17 chevron_right 18 chevron_right 19 chevron_right 20 chevron_right
Intro
00:00 • 50sec
How Fareed Became a Generalist Thinker
00:50 • 2min
What Is a Liberal Education For Today
03:00 • 3min
When Fareed First Read Fitzgerald
05:58 • 6min
Gatsby: Plot and Central Characters
11:30 • 4min
Reinvention and the American Dream
15:56 • 6min
Why We Admire Gatsby Despite His Flaws
21:50 • 7min
Old Money vs New Money and Moral Consequences
28:41 • 3min
How the Jazz Age Frames Gatsby's Decadence
32:01 • 2min
Ad break
33:51 • 1min
Is The Great Gatsby a Love Story?
35:05 • 5min
Fitzgerald's Prose and the Famous Closing Lines
39:43 • 3min
Fitzgerald and Editor Maxwell Perkins' Collaboration
42:32 • 2min
How Gatsby's Meaning Changed Over Time
44:19 • 3min
Why Gatsby Still Resonates After 100 Years
47:13 • 6min
Lightning Round: Favorite College Course
53:00 • 2min
Books That Shifted Fareed's View
54:40 • 2min
American Foreign Policy's Oscillation
56:25 • 1min
What's Wrong with Journalism Today
57:40 • 2min
Outro
01:00:08 • 11sec
#24021
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
A Preface to Morals
Walter Lippmann
string
#18211
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
Walter Lippmann and the American Century
Walter Lippmann
#30148
Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda
Jackson R. Bryer
Cathy W. Barks
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Eleanor Lanahan
Zelda Fitzgerald
Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda presents over 300 collected love letters between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, more than 75 percent of which were previously unpublished or out-of-print.
Edited by renowned Fitzgerald scholars Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy W. Barks, with an introduction by their granddaughter Eleanor Lanahan, the collection traces the couple's courtship beginning in 1918 through their marriage, capturing their devotion to each other despite the challenges of Scott's alcoholism, Zelda's mental illness, and the pressures of their Jazz Age lifestyle.
The letters reveal an intimate portrait of one of the 20th century's greatest love stories, featuring Zelda's poetic voice and Scott's lyrical prose, along with photographs and extensive annotations.
#20221
• Mentioned in 2 episodes
The Beautiful and Damned
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Set in New York City in the early 1900s, 'The Beautiful and Damned' follows the lives of Anthony Patch and his wife Gloria Gilbert.
Anthony, a Harvard alumnus and heir to a vast fortune, and Gloria, a beautiful flapper, embark on a life of luxury and excess.
However, their marriage is marked by selfishness, infidelity, and a downward spiral into alcoholism and financial ruin.
The novel reflects on the hedonistic lifestyle of the American idle rich during the Jazz Age and draws heavily from Fitzgerald's own experiences and marriage to Zelda Sayre.
Despite their eventual inheritance of a large fortune, the couple's lives are ultimately ruined by their own excesses and lack of purpose.
#59
• Mentioned in 185 episodes
Moby Dick
Herman Melville
Moby-Dick is a novel that tells the story of Captain Ahab's maniacal quest for revenge against Moby Dick, the giant white sperm whale that bit off his leg.
Narrated by Ishmael, the story follows the crew of the whaling ship Pequod as they embark on a journey that explores themes of obsession, man vs.
nature, and the existential questions of good and evil.
The novel is rich in detailed descriptions of whale hunting and life aboard a culturally diverse crew, and it has become a cornerstone of American and world literature.
#668
• Mentioned in 38 episodes
East of Eden
Paul Osborn
In 'East of Eden', John Steinbeck tells the story of the Trask and Hamilton families, set against the backdrop of California's Salinas Valley.
The novel is a modern retelling of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, focusing on the tumultuous relationship between Cal and Aron Trask, and their struggles with their father, Adam.
The book delves into themes of love, rejection, and the choice between good and evil, symbolized by the Hebrew word 'timshel', meaning 'thou mayest'.
The narrative is rich with characters like Samuel Hamilton, a kind and wise patriarch, and Kate, the embodiment of evil, whose past and actions significantly impact the lives of the Trasks.
#421
• Mentioned in 53 episodes
After Virtue
Alistair McIntyre
Alasdair MacIntyre's "After Virtue" is a highly influential work in moral philosophy that critiques modern ethical theories and proposes a return to virtue ethics.
MacIntyre argues that modern moral philosophy has lost its way, leading to a fragmented and incoherent understanding of morality.
He traces the historical development of ethical thought, identifying the decline of virtue ethics and the rise of emotivism and other relativistic approaches.
MacIntyre proposes a revival of virtue ethics grounded in the Aristotelian tradition, emphasizing the importance of character development and the cultivation of virtuous dispositions.
His work has had a profound impact on contemporary ethical debates, inspiring renewed interest in virtue ethics and its application to various social and political issues.
#15561
• Mentioned in 3 episodes
American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony
None
Samuel P. Huntington
#71
• Mentioned in 168 episodes
The great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Published in 1925, 'The Great Gatsby' is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social commentary on American life during the Jazz Age. The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, who moves to Long Island and becomes entangled in the lives of his wealthy and mysterious neighbor, Jay Gatsby, and Gatsby's obsession to win back his first love, Daisy Buchanan.
The story delves into themes of honesty, the temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past, ultimately reflecting on the disintegration of the American Dream.
#4540
• Mentioned in 8 episodes
This Side of Paradise
F. Scott Fitzgerald
This Side of Paradise chronicles the life of Amory Blaine from his childhood through his early twenties.
The novel is divided into three sections: 'Book One: The Romantic Egotist,' 'Interlude,' and 'Book Two: The Education of a Personage.
' It follows Amory's experiences at Princeton University, his service in World War I, and his subsequent struggles with love, identity, and social class.
The book is known for its experimental narrative structure, which includes poetry, letters, and stream-of-consciousness sections.
It reflects the themes of the 'Lost Generation,' exploring the disillusionment and moral ambiguity of the post-war era.
It’s been 100 years since The Great Gatsby was published. In this episode, Shilo Brooks sits down with journalist Fareed Zakaria to explore why the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel still feels so modern.
Zakaria shares his experience discovering the classic as an Indian immigrant, describing Gatsby as his gateway to understanding America. Together, they unpack the book’s enduring themes: the allure of reinvention and the American dream, the search for meaning in a world stripped of faith and tradition, and the spiritual hollowness that accompanies wealth and glamor. They also discuss Fitzgerald’s unique partnership with his editor Maxwell Perkins, a writer-editor collaboration that helped transform Gatsby into one of the greatest works of American literature. Plus: Zakaria sounds off on what’s wrong with journalism—and its consumers—today.
Old School is proudly brought to you by the Jack Miller Center. If you believe in the importance of civic education and want to help prepare the next generation to carry on our democracy, join us at JackMillerCenter.org.
Become a paid subscriber to The Free Press today to enjoy exclusive bonus episodes and reduced ads. Click here to subscribe.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices