Why Was This Novel So Popular Anyway? Thoughts On Today's Class Discussion

Today in class we kept coming back to the question of why this novel was so immensely popular at its first publication in 1920, and also today (though I do acknowledge that there are defiantly people in our class who do not like novel, a Google search produced evidence that there are in fact, contemporary fans of this book). Why is this? First off, I think that part of the attraction is escapist. Particularly for the post-WWI audience, there seems to me to be at least to some degree, the opportunity for living vicariously through Amory and his peers experiences. What an easy life by comparison, to float on a sea of money from private school to college, mucking about in grand adventure and “discovering oneself”. Returned solder's aside, Dr. Newman noted today that only about 1% of males went to college in the early 20th Century, making this novel for a many of its readers a glimpse into in A similar phenomena may account for contemporary popularity, because while in someways Amory's experiences are universal, there are many societal norms that are atypical and interesting to modern audiences, the school system, the intense socioeconomic divisions. However, I think escapism only work if the audience see something of themselves in the character. Although some of Amory's more obnoxious character flaws dissuade readers from relating to hid character, the journey of “finding oneself” (as we discussed, a relatively new idea) is common to 1920s audiences through audience's today. Though readers don't want to relate to the specifics of Amory's quest, they do relate to the idea that the journey needs to be taken. Which brings up another question: How real is this “journey” of finding oneself? How much has Amory fundamentally changed? And how much are real people, in really life, really supposed to change?