The Great Gatsby

Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Genre: Novel

Publication Date: 1925

Overview

The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1925, is regarded as a classic piece of American short fiction. Set in the Jazz Age (post-War society), the novel explores life in the mid-1920s—that is, in the aftermath of the First World War. Politically speaking, this was a time of growth and prosperity, as well as a time of corruption. Economically, the 1920s witnessed great financial gain, but it was mostly restricted to the upper classes. Socially, the 1920s marked an era of great change for women, too. They began to reinvent themselves, according to their own rules.

The novel is inspired by Fitzgerald’s own romance in Alabama with a woman named Zelda during this same period. The protagonist, Nick Carraway, is a young and thoughtful Yale-educated man. After the war, he moves to New York. Jay Gatsby is similar to Fitzgerald as well in that he, too, is sensitive and in love with a young woman. They both want wealth and luxury, but Gatsby is stationed in the South, at a military installation.

Through his characters, Fitzgerald not only gives us a glimpse of middle- and upper-class American life in the 1920s but also delivers a series of criticisms.

The Great Gatsby Biography

The Great Gatsby Background

The Great Gatsby Characters

The Great Gatsby Summary and Analysis

The Great Gatsby Themes

The Great Gatsby Quotes

The Great Gatsby Discussion Questions