Today F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby turns 88. As I have previously posted, this is on my list of all time favorite novels. And a month from today Baz Luhrmann’s movie based on the book comes out. At first I was a bit skeptical about this film, but the latest trailer has me psyched about it.
An article published by the Huffington Post about a Fitzgerald scholar and his interaction with Luhrmann shows the level of research the director’s done to make sure he gets this right. The piece is interesting, and you can read it here.
The article mentions Ginevra King, the inspiration behind the character of Daisy Buchanan. She was Fitzgerald’s first love, and though she jilted him, he kept her love letters and used her as a model for many of his female characters featured in both his novels and short stories.
Ginevra King
Caroline Preston did a tremendous amount of research on Ginevra that resulted in Gatsby’s Girl, a novel I highly recommend. But it is fiction. The relationship between Ginevra and Fitzgerald is largely based on fact, but the rest of the character’s journey is Preston’s creation. In an interview she says that Ginevra King was never interested in Fitzgerald’s books, but her character in the novel obsesses over them. You can read more about the novel and the interview with the author here.
Ginevra King’s teenage diary and her letters to Fitzgerald are housed in the Princeton University Library. Carey Mulligan, who portrays Daisy in the film, read them. I can’t wait to see how she decides to play the character.
So Happy Birthday, Jay! We’ll be seeing you on the big screen soon.
Here’s the latest trailer, in case you haven’t seen it, or are like me and want to see it again:
Diana Overbey 