You’re dead on when you say Paradise acurately satirize teenage uncertainty and social games.

But how can you commend Amory for his “dark intelligence”? He’s just a silly English major who doesn’t know and can’t do anything (like manage his money, change a tire, and solve simple math problems). You could teach a monkey to change a tire.

He goes to an Ivy League College where he basically majors in reading made-up stories (which is all English as a subject is). Then he basically fails tenth grade math (conics), because he can’t handle simple equations. Then he goes around remembering old poems and telling people that he is a genius. Does the fact that he can’t earn money, solve real problems, or demonstrate any actual skills point to a dark intelligence?

It was a good book. But it would have been a great book if Fitzgerald had just left his silly 22 year old English major’s perspective on intelligence out of it. He was much smarter when he wasn’t trying so hard to be smart.