The Great Gatsby: A Work of Literary Merit

What is literary merit? It’s okay if you don’t know the answer because before my

AP Literature and Composition teacher mentioned it, I had no idea what it was either. If I were to define literary merit, I would define it as a book that is considered quality work by professionals. Professionals include people like English professors. These types of books have a certain level of skill in them that proves their worth. They allow for further analysis that teaches some sort of insight.

One example of a work of literary merit would be my current independent reading book which is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Why would this book be considered of literary merit? The Great Gatsby is a book that follows Jay Gatsby, an extremely wealthy man who has all the luxuries in life but the one thing he wants he can’t have which is a lady named Daisy. This book presented the idea of the American dream which is having the opportunity to have a wealthy lifestyle where you can have whatever you want. Gatsby had this but what he really longed for was to have something money could not buy. Through this, Fitzgerald wanted to show that just because Jay Gatsby had every component that would satisfy the true American dream, he was still unhappy because he couldn’t have Daisy. This analysis lends itself to teach that money isn't everything. Just because one may be wealthy does not mean that you should forget about the simpler things in life like love, family, and friends because those are the things that will make you truly happy.

Therefore, The Great Gatsby could be considered a work of literary merit because it is quality work. This book has a strong underlying message that can be understood once the reader takes time to fully analyze the reading. Now, I want you to see whether the book you are reading would be considered a work of literary merit. If not, identify why and try to pick a book to read that would be considered quality work.