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Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.

This collection of essays about The Great Gatsby will provide a useful introduction to the novel for undergraduates. The eight essays, some by recognized authorities (e.g., Kenneth Eble), have been published elsewhere, but most have not been previously anthologized. A notable exception is Marius Bewley's fine early (1954) piece, ``Scott Fitzgerald's Criticism of America,'' which has been reprinted in many collections, including the two that are most directly comparable with this one-Frederick J. Hoffman's The Great Gatsby: A Study (1962) and Ernest Lockridge's Twentieth Century Interpretations of The Great Gatsby (CH, Mar '69). Editor Harold Bloom contributes a short, incisive introduction, and presents a selection of intelligent readings, which treat the novel from a variety of critical perspectives: in terms of its mythic and structural elements and its point of view, among others. Since most of these essays first appeared in the 1970s, and none later than 1980, Bloom may not have taken full advantage of coming so much later than Hoffman and Lockridge. But this collection, with its chronology and selected bibliography will be a useful addition to most academic libraries.-B.H. Leeds, Central Connecticut State University