[vladimir998]

So, Gatsby is “necessary reading”? For what exactly? I mean, I suppose, for American Literature majors in college sure, but it doesn’t seem all that necessary for the rest of us.

[Romulus]

Necessary for people who care about the English language or the American story, or human beings. If none of this applies to you, by all means return to whatever it is you people do.

[jobim]

So, Gatsby is “necessary reading”? For what exactly? I mean, I suppose, for American Literature majors in college sure, but it doesn’t seem all that necessary for the rest of us.

Necessary implies indispensible, which I don't think any one novel is, any more than any one painting, symphony, etc. A novel is an aesthetic, which by nature will not appeal to all. Moby Dick does not have aesthetic appeal for me, although I can recognize Melville's accomplishment, whereas The Scarlet Letter does. Dostoyevsky hits me; Dickens doesn't. We hope to expose the next generation to a range of great works to whet their appetites for the remainder of their lives.