"The Great Gatsby": James Gatz Was a Clamdigger on Lake Michigan?

Cafe Society
1

I recall reading that the main character of F.S. Fitzgerald’s novel started out a s a clam digger, on Lake Michigan.
Is this true? I wasn’t aware that people ate freshwater clams-did they in those times?

2

It was a mistake on FSF’s part, as Hemingway (or maybe Lardner, I forget) informed him on seeing the ms. of TGG.

3

Thanks..so why wasn’t it corrected?:cool:

4

Fitzgerald just decided that it (and several other errors, like the name of “Union Station” in Chicago) weren’t likely to be noticed by most readers, and he let it go. Read the annotated edition of the novel (the one published by Cambridge UP) for a complete listing, if you like.