PRH sent me a new copy of #Gatsby, which includes a new intro from John Grisham.

In it, Grisham poses a question which I believe draws attention to the constructedness of a “canon” —

How did the book, panned when published... become one of greatest if all American novels? 1/?

One answer Grisham provides:

The book was “virtually out of print.” But “a group to publishers and librarians decided that our [WWII] soldiers needed books for entertainment and diversion.” Copies were sent; thousands of soldiers got them. Hollywood then made a film. 2/?

I‘ve known about this aspect of Gatsby’s publishing history for years.

And every time I think about it (which is annually when I teach it), I think about the tremendous decision-making power of this “group of publishers and librarians.” 3/?

For the record, I like Gatsby. Contrary to some #DisruptTexts critics who think criticism of texts like Gatsby means I want to "cancel" Fitzgerald and all writers like him, I have taught Gatsby for years and still do. (How I teach it, of course, has changed.) 4/?

To point out how Gatsby was almost *not* an "American classic" save the decision of "a group of publishers and librarians" during WWII, is not to diminish its literary quality—only that its "literary quality" was not necessarily *the* reason for its enduring staying power. 5/?

Which makes me wonder: what other texts — and especially those by BIPOC writers — didn't have the chance to endure in the American imagination that Gatsby did? 6/?

And as any English teacher will tell you (especially HS), once books get purchased and you've got hundreds of copies in your book room, it's not hard to see why some texts do endure — and for reasons that, again, are not necessarily due to literary quality. 7/?

This doesn't mean that Gatsby doesn't have "literary merit" — only that "literary merit" isn't the only reason some texts continue to be taught. I think it's important, as teachers who curate and play some role in Ss' literary lives, to remember that. 8/?

And one last thing... I have nothing against Grisham. But how I wish a scholar of color was the one to write the intro to this new edition — someone who with a more critical lens, to grapple with the text's central tensions around race, class, etc. in the context of today. 9/fin

And thank you @oblongirl for pointing out that there's another new edition of Gatsby (and also from PRH) with an intro from @minjinlee11 https://twitter.com/oblongirl/status/1351310346221445125?s=20