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1. 
   janeyb

   eNotes Editor

   Best answer as selected by question asker.

   I may be biased, as Fitzgerald is my favorite author, and This Side of Paradise one of my favorite novels. The timelessness of this story (or why its considered a classic) stems not only from the unbelievable descriptive writing of Fitzgerald, but from the themes of the novel. One of the main themes in the novel is the difference in generations. Amory’s vanity and egotism, his flirtatious affairs with young women, his startling ideas (such as about socialism), and his vague contempt for nineteenth- century tradition was a slap in the face to the generation before it. Fitzgerald's characters were letting their parents know that they didn't understand them. That relevance, and that idea, a departure from what came before exists now for almost every generation. If you've ever told your parents that they don't understand you or your friends, so was Fitzgerald in this novel. The writing in "This Side of Paradise" is phenomenal. Fitzgerald uses all different types of medium within the book; a play, a long poem. It is a wonderful display of modernism.

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   Posted by janeyb on Tuesday May 1, 2007 at 8:17 AM
   
   

2. 
   merehughes Teacher
   High School - 12th Grade

   eNotes Editor

   Fitzgerald is also one of my favorite authors and I would have to add to the previous response that in addition to the theme of generational conflict, This Side of Paradise also addresses issues of love and relationships, betrayal and despair. These are universal and therefore the story stands the test of time.

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   Posted by merehughes on Friday May 4, 2007 at 10:59 AM