"Welcome. You’re listening to a journey through one of the most hauntingly beautiful novels of the 20th century. This season, we step into the smoky glamour and quiet desperation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s world—a world where parties shimmer late into the night, yet loneliness lingers just beneath the glittering surface.
First published in 1925, this story unfolds during America’s Jazz Age, a time of excess, reinvention, and fragile illusions. Set against the backdrop of West Egg and East Egg, two fictional communities divided by wealth and ideals, we meet a mysterious millionaire known for his lavish parties and secret sorrows. Through the eyes of an outsider, we witness his obsessive pursuit of a dream that perhaps never truly existed.
But this isn’t just a love story. It’s a reflection—a mirror held up to the American Dream itself, questioning what’s real, what’s earned, and what’s lost along the way. We’ll explore how symbols like a green light across the bay or a forgotten billboard with eyes that never blink reveal deeper truths about class, power, and identity.
Each episode will dive into the layers of this deceptively simple narrative, drawing connections between the time it was written and the world we live in now. We’ll also explore the life of its author, a man both enchanted and destroyed by the very culture he wrote about.
So settle in. Step back into a world of jazz, ambition, and heartbreak. Because in this story, the past is never really past—and sometimes, the brightest dreams are the ones that fade the fastest."
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
"Welcome. You’re listening to a journey through one of the most hauntingly beautiful novels of the 20th century. This season, we step into the smoky glamour and quiet desperation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s world—a world where parties shimmer late into the night, yet loneliness lingers just beneath the glittering surface.
First published in 1925, this story unfolds during America’s Jazz Age, a time of excess, reinvention, and fragile illusions. Set against the backdrop of West Egg and East Egg, two fictional communities divided by wealth and ideals, we meet a mysterious millionaire known for his lavish parties and secret sorrows. Through the eyes of an outsider, we witness his obsessive pursuit of a dream that perhaps never truly existed.
But this isn’t just a love story. It’s a reflection—a mirror held up to the American Dream itself, questioning what’s real, what’s earned, and what’s lost along the way. We’ll explore how symbols like a green light across the bay or a forgotten billboard with eyes that never blink reveal deeper truths about class, power, and identity.
Each episode will dive into the layers of this deceptively simple narrative, drawing connections between the time it was written and the world we live in now. We’ll also explore the life of its author, a man both enchanted and destroyed by the very culture he wrote about.
So settle in. Step back into a world of jazz, ambition, and heartbreak. Because in this story, the past is never really past—and sometimes, the brightest dreams are the ones that fade the fastest."
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Step deeper into Gatsby’s America as illusions begin to crack and a mysterious invitation shifts the course of Nick's summer. 🥂🚘
“Every one suspects himself of at least one of the cardinal virtues, and this is mine: I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known.” — Nick Carraway
Chapter Two: The Valley of Ashes
Nick ventures beyond West Egg into the bleak wasteland between the city and the suburbs—known ominously as the Valley of Ashes. Here, amidst the dust and decay, he is introduced to Tom Buchanan’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson, and witnesses a gathering that spirals into drunken chaos and violence. This episode strips away the polish of East Coast wealth and reveals the moral emptiness hiding underneath. Through the grotesque contrast between the grandeur of the Eggs and the industrial gloom of the Valley, Fitzgerald intensifies his critique of the American Dream’s hollow core.
This chapter lays bare the cracks in the lives of those clinging to power, pleasure, and status, setting the stage for the deeper unraveling still to come.
Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Previous Chapter: In My Younger and More Vulnerable Years
Next Chapter: The Party at Gatsby’s Mansion 🎉🌙
Contact the team: livingradioukstudio@gmail.com
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Chapter Two: The Valley of Ashes | The Great Gatsby Podcast
For fans of Gatsby’s golden world, explore these unforgettable portrayals and the stars who brought them to life:
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
