11 Things You Don't Know About 'The Great Gatsby'

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"The Great Gatsby" comes to theaters May 10.

F. Scott Fitzgerald always wanted his novel "The Great Gatsby" to become a "consciously artistic achievement."

Today, it is just that. 

His American classic is mandatory reading across English classrooms. There was a time, however, when no one wanted to read about Gatsby and his lost love, Daisy.

With Baz Luhrmann's anticipated film adaptation in theaters this month, we reread our copy of the book. 

Our copy of the 182-page novel includes a 22-page introduction from publisher Charles Scribner III, which we took the time to read this time around.

It shares many details about the early drafts of Fitzgerald's novel, the lengthy process and pains with which he went through to produce it, including struggles to come up with a title, and the immediate failure of the book. 

Some would say, "Gatsby" was simply ahead of its time.

The book was highly influenced by Fitzgerald's failed play "The Vegetable: or from President to Postman."

Scribners

Fitzgerald spent a year and a half working on the comedy — a satire on the American Dream and spoof of President Harding's administration — which he hoped would make him a famous Broadway playwright.

The young author began work on "Gatsby" after the first draft of "Vegetable" was complete while traveling between Long Island, Great Neck, and New York City for play rehearsal.

"Vegetable" was a disaster opening night in the fall of 1923 in Atlantic City, NJ.