Jazz meets The Great Gatsby! You might not immediately connect the roaring twenties with the soulful sounds of jazz, but a new edition of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic novel is here to change that. Distinguished professor emeritus Steven C. Tracy, from the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, has lent his expertise to annotate this fresh edition, published by Bond and Grace in November.
Tracy's involvement is just the latest in a series of academic achievements he's undertaken since retiring. His contributions include providing notes on jazz within the context of the novel.
His impact on the academic world extends far beyond this single project. Two of Tracy's seminal works, Langston Hughes and the Blues and Going to Cincinnati: A History of the Blues in the Queen City, are being re-released by the University of Illinois Press. These books, originally published nearly 40 years ago, in 2024 and December 2025, respectively, have earned their place as classics in the fields of literary criticism and blues music history. This shows the lasting influence of his work.
He has also contributed chapters to The Langston Hughes Review and the Foreign Language Review in China.
But here's where it gets poignant... Despite these accomplishments, Tracy is currently navigating an early-stage diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia. He's also working on a sequel to his book Hot Music, Ragmentation, and the Bluing of American Literature, published in 2016.
What do you think about the intersection of literature and music? Do you believe jazz is a vital element of understanding The Great Gatsby? Share your thoughts in the comments!
