The Verb

The Great Gatsby


Listen Later

This year, F Scott Fitzgerald's classic The Great Gatsby enters the public domain. What will this mean for one of America's best loved novels?

Ian McMillan is joined by the academic and writer Sarah Churchwell, author of 'Careless People: Murder, Mayhem and the invention of The Great Gatsby', to discuss why the language of the book is still so resonant to us today.

And poet and playwright Inua Ellams considers the quality of 'emptiness' in the text and how Fitzgerald's writing made this glittering world of parties feel so hollow.

Jonathan Bate's new book is 'Bright Star, Green Light: The Beautiful and Damned Lives of John Keats and F. Scott Fitzgerald'. Bate joins us to take us on a 'Keatsian' reading of The Great Gatsby

And to examine the idea of the public domain, we'll also be looking at what it means to remix and play around with a text with musician, broadcaster and technologist LJ Rich. LJ is a synesthete - how does she Fitzgerald's book, famously drenched in colour from green lights to yellow cocktail music?

Presenter: Ian McMillan

Producer: Jessica Treen

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The VerbBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4
  • 4.4

4.4

30 ratings


More shows like The Verb

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,924 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

376 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

860 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,577 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,748 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,024 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,108 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,002 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

The Food Programme by BBC Radio 4

The Food Programme

260 Listeners

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast by Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

Page 94: The Private Eye Podcast

429 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

585 Listeners

London Review Bookshop Podcast by London Review Bookshop

London Review Bookshop Podcast

129 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

305 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

129 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

56 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,236 Listeners

The Missing Cryptoqueen by BBC Sounds

The Missing Cryptoqueen

1,030 Listeners

The Bomb by BBC World Service

The Bomb

1,006 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

103 Listeners