---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever…"
description: "\"The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.\" — W. P. Kinsella"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg"
---

#  The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.

![“The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.” quote by W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg)

> “The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.”

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

The novel stands out for its literary excellence and cultural impact.

**In simple terms:** The Great Gatsby is a top novel.

Key Takeaway

Read it for insight into the American Dream.

Themes

literature American Dream class illusion culture

Mood

admiring analytical

Type

literary critical

When to use this quote

- high school curricula
- book clubs
- film adaptations
- literary analysis

Key Concepts

classic novel social critique

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a novel "the finest"?
- How does it reflect its era?

A Different Perspective

Subjective praise; others may prefer different works.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Finest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finest/) [Finest Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finest-novel-4458038/) [Gatsby Finest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gatsby-finest-4458037/) [Great gatsby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-gatsby/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Novel Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel-written-810589/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/written/)

## Related quotes

> [Let me now praise the American writer James Dickey. In 1970, his novel 'Deliverance' was published. I found it to be 278 pages that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/let-me-now-praise-the-american-writer-james-dickey-in-1970-his-novel/)

[Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/)

> [What I'm definitely against is the plodding, paint-by-numbers 19th-century-style novel that's still being written today. I just don't understand why you'd read or write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-shields/what-i-m-definitely-against-is-the-plodding-paint-by-numbers-19th/)

[David Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-shields/)

> [No one knows how to write a novel until it's been written](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/no-one-knows-how-to-write-a-novel-until-it-s-been-written/)

[Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/)

> [If God is an author and the universe is the biggest novel ever written, I may feel as if I'm the lead character in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/if-god-is-an-author-and-the-universe-is-the-biggest-novel-ever/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [My first published novel was written for teenagers, and there were rules laid down by the publisher: no sex, no smoking, no swearing. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bova/my-first-published-novel-was-written-for-teenagers-and-there-were/)

[Ben Bova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bova/)

> [If a novel is written in a certain language with certain characters from a particular community and the story is very good or illuminating,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ngugi-wa-thiong-o/if-a-novel-is-written-in-a-certain-language-with-certain-characters/)

[Ngugi wa Thiong'o](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ngugi-wa-thiong-o/)

> [TV does a thing that film can never do. It takes you to a place that no novel written after the late 19th century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/tv-does-a-thing-that-film-can-never-do-it-takes-you-to-a-place-that/)

[Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/)

> [“I have often been mildly amused when I think that the great American novel was not written about New England or Chicago. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-have-often-been-mildly-amused-when-i-think-that-the-great-american/)

[James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/)

> [ \[The Yellow Birds\] is based on a novel written by Kevin Powers, who is an Iraq War vet. I play a soldier who promises… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alden-ehrenreich/the-yellow-birds-is-based-on-a-novel-written-by-kevin-powers-who-is/)

[Alden Ehrenreich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alden-ehrenreich/)

> [“My most recent novel is written wholly in numbers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-holloway/my-most-recent-novel-is-written-wholly-in-numbers/)

[Dan Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-holloway/)

> [“I guess life is like a novel. Some of it is written by fate, some of it is written by God... but the part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-johnson/i-guess-life-is-like-a-novel-some-of-it-is-written-by-fate-some-of-it/)

[Lynn Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-johnson/)

> [ And it \[Fight Club novel\] was written so general that my father thought I was writing about his father, and my boss thought I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/and-it-fight-club-novel-was-written-so-general-that-my-father-thought/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [I have never read a really good novel written by a man where women are portrayed as they truly are. They can be portrayed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/i-have-never-read-a-really-good-novel-written-by-a-man-where-women/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [At the beginning of the project, I wasn't certain that I could come up with an engaging storyline and cast of characters in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/at-the-beginning-of-the-project-i-wasn-t-certain-that-i-could-come-up/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [The great American novel has not only already been written, it has already been rejected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/the-great-american-novel-has-not-only-already-been-written-it-has/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

## More by W. P. Kinsella

> [ I think it is worse \[in 2015\] for a mid-list author such as myself. You either have to sell like Stephen King or go… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/i-think-it-is-worse-in-2015-for-a-mid-list-author-such-as-myself-you/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [ My dad talked a good game. \[I'm as a\] child got only the World Series on the radio. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/my-dad-talked-a-good-game-i-m-as-a-child-got-only-the-world-series-on/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Discovered W. Somerset Maugham in about 5th grade. Didn't understand the plots, but loved the descriptions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/discovered-w-somerset-maugham-in-about-5th-grade-didn-t-understand/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Read, read, read, read and then read some more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/read-read-read-read-and-then-read-some-more/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Find something that thrills you, and when you finish reading it for enjoyment, read it again line by line, paragraph by paragraph to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/find-something-that-thrills-you-and-when-you-finish-reading-it-for/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Someone once described the pitching of a no-hit game as like catching lighting in a bottle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/someone-once-described-the-pitching-of-a-no-hit-game-as-like-catching/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Praise the name of baseball. The word will set captives free. The word will open the eyes of the blind. The word will raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/praise-the-name-of-baseball-the-word-will-set-captives-free-the-word/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Heroes don't need to talk about what they did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/heroes-don-t-need-to-talk-about-what-they-did/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [My intuition told me that it was the grass that was important.Now it glows parrot-green, cool as mint, soft as moss, lying there like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/my-intuition-told-me-that-it-was-the-grass-that-was-important-now-it/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [ \[Mid-list writers are now\] less greed on the part of both publishers and chain booksellers. It is easier for them to publish and sell… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/mid-list-writers-are-now-less-greed-on-the-part-of-both-publishers/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [At one time I'd been to every park except Baltimore and Houston, but can't even keep track of who plays where these days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/at-one-time-i-d-been-to-every-park-except-baltimore-and-houston-but/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Have never been a minor league fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/have-never-been-a-minor-league-fan/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [If you build it, he will come.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/if-you-build-it-he-will-come/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [Until Color TV came along, BW TV was too muddy to be enjoyable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/until-color-tv-came-along-bw-tv-was-too-muddy-to-be-enjoyable/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

> [He bats like a lightning rod.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/he-bats-like-a-lightning-rod/)

[W. P. Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

[Explore all 52 W. P. Kinsella quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/)

## More Books quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/)

[Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/)

> [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/)

[Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/)

> [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/)

[Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/)

> [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/)

[Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/)

> [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/)

[Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/)

> [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/)

[Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/)

> [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/)

[Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/)

> [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/)

[Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/)

> [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/)

[Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/)

> [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/)

[Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/)

> [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/)

[Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/)

> [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/)

[Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/)

> [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/)

[Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/)

> [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/)

[Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/)

[Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "W. P. Kinsella"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-written/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Books"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-written/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b7/w-p-kinsella-12923_books_the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-w_2952553.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Great Gatsby, the finest novel ever written.” — W. P. Kinsella",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "W. P. Kinsella",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-p-kinsella/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Great Gatsby, the finest novel...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-written/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-p-kinsella/the-great-gatsby-the-finest-novel-ever-written/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
