F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has one of the most iconic book covers of all time. Francis Cugat was commissioned to design it while Fitzgerald was still working on the novel, and when he saw the artwork, he liked it so much he told his publisher he had “written it into” the book. This has not prevented Gatsby from being published with multiple jacket treatments over the years. Some are quite lovely indeed, the recent movie tie-in edition not included. The novel has also been a wellspring of inspiration for writers and designers alike, and there are quite a large number of wonderful fan-designed covers floating around on the Internet — created by everyone from established designers to students. Click through to see some of the… Read More
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Required Reading List: Jay Gatsby
With Baz Luhrmann’s splashy adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great American Novel contender hitting theaters Friday, Flavorwire is devoting this week to all things Great Gatsby. Click here to follow our coverage.
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten,” Ralph Waldo Emerson famously quipped, “even so, they have made me.” In this bi-weekly series, Flavorwire plays professor to some of our favorite pop culture characters, assigning reading lists tailored to their temperaments or — in some cases — designed to make them into slightly better people. After all, even fictional characters can have their lives changed by books. Or so we imagine. This week, we recommend a reading list for the man of the moment, one Jay Gatsby. … Read More
Handwritten Manuscript Pages From Classic Novels
These days, almost all works of literature are written on computers — from their first inklings, saved in a document called “notes,” to their final, emailed-out drafts — and even, increasingly, read on them. In such a climate, we are even more fascinated by the handwritten drafts and original manuscripts of classic literature, from which much can be inferred via handwriting, paper choice, and strength of pen marks. But mostly, they’re nice to look at, so with more than a little help from awesome Tumblr Fuck Yeah, Manuscripts!, we’ve collected a few of our favorite… Read More
10 Foolproof Books to Give as Gifts
Tonight is World Book Night, an international event wherein devoted volunteers pick a favorite out of 30 books, selected by an independent panel of librarians and booksellers, and hand copies out in their communities, encouraging those who don’t normally read or have access to books to experience something new. In case you missed the boat on volunteering, but are inspired to gift a book to someone who doesn’t read very often, we’ve put together a list of foolproof gift books that (almost) everyone will love. Some of these have been selected as World Book Night books in the past, and some have not, but we think they all will encourage a brand new or rediscovered reading habit — and your reputation as an excellent gift-giver. Check out our list after the jump, and add to it at will in the comments. … Read More
Awesome Pulp Paperback Redesigns of Classic Novels
We love book covers here at Flavorwire, and we especially love redesigns, not to mention pulp fiction, so we immediately fell in love with these awesome vintage-style redesigns of classic novels. We also fell into giggles at some of these taglines: “Lock up your daughters… Darcy’s in town!” Indeed. We spotted the redesigns over at Reddit, where one user commented, “More like Tess of the B’ubervilles.” Well, there’s nothing we can add to that. … Read More
Required Reading: Schmidt
“I cannot remember the books I’ve read any more than the meals I have eaten,” Ralph Waldo Emerson famously quipped, “even so, they have made me.” In this bi-weekly series, Flavorwire plays professor to some of our favorite pop culture characters, assigning reading lists tailored to their temperaments or — in some cases — designed to make them into slightly better people. After all, even fictional characters can have their lives changed by books. Or so we imagine. This week, we recommend a reading list for New Girl‘s Schmidt, to minimize the money put into the douchebag jar. … Read More
The Smuttiest Fanfiction Stories Starring Highbrow Literary Characters [NSFW]
This week, we laughed out loud at this hilarious Craigslist ad, in which a woman seeks a Robb Stark lookalike to have sex with (we hope she found him). The ridiculous ad reminded us of all the equally ridiculous erotic fanfiction out there, and so we went snooping to see what we could find. Though there are plenty of fanfics about the kind of characters you’d expect (see a terrible Harry Potter/Good Charlotte/all-purpose Internet goth one here), there are also quite a few amateur scribes out there turning the characters from highbrow literary works to, er, devious purposes. After the jump, ten works of — extremely NSFW — erotic fiction of varying qualities, each based on Very Serious Literature. All we have to say is: oof. … Read More
10 Books to Read While You’re Waiting for ‘The Great Gatsby’ to Come Out
About a month from now, Baz Luhrmann’s much-anticipated film adaptation of The Great Gatsby will hit theaters, and try as we might to maintain a healthy amount of “they’re going to ruin it” skepticism, we have to admit that we’re pretty excited. So excited that we’ve already re-read the book, and now we’re casting about for similarly jazzy, indulgent, socially critical reads to hold us over until we can watch it unfold as a spectacle in theaters. If you’re facing the same problem, we’ve got you covered — after the jump, check out the books (aside from the obvious one, of course) that we’re reading in anticipation of Gatsby on the big screen, and if we’ve missed your favorite, be sure to add it to our list in the comments. … Read More
The Fascinating, Handwritten Poems of Famous Authors
“Poets don’t draw. They unravel their handwriting and then tie it up again, but differently,” Jean Cocteau once said. When examining the handwritten poems of famous authors — those made popular by their texts and several famous for other art forms — there is an unparalleled intimacy that typed words cannot convey. Many of these poems were born from spontaneous bursts of creativity or late-night meditations, unsparing and instinctive in thought. Words are ostensibly silent, but these handwritten poems speak volumes about their creators. See what poets put pen to paper and revealed their inner worlds. … Read More
10 Famous Writers on How to Drink
This week, we read a fascinating essay by famed journalist H.L. Mencken, also known as the Sage of Baltimore, entitled “How to Drink Like a Gentleman: The Things to Do and the Things Not To, as Learned in 30 Years’ Extensive Research.” Needless to say, we learned quite a bit, and, eager for more advice on life’s finer things from literary types, we’ve collected a few quotes from famous writers on how to drink. Pick up some tips after the jump, and if we’ve missed your favorite missive, add it to our list in the comments. … Read More
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