The Great Gatsby

by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Overview

The Great Gatsby is a novel published in 1925 that explores themes of wealth, identity, disillusionment, and the American Dream. Set during the Jazz Age, it offers a critical portrayal of American society in the aftermath of World War I, highlighting the emptiness beneath the surface of wealth and glamour.

Author
F. Scott Fitzgerald was a prominent figure of the Lost Generation—a group of American writers who came of age during or after World War I. His work often critiques the moral and social changes of the 1920s.

Narrative and Structure
The novel is narrated by Nick Carraway, a recent Yale graduate and war veteran who rents a small house in West Egg, Long Island. From this perspective, Fitzgerald tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and enigmatic man who throws opulent parties in hopes of reuniting with his former lover, Daisy Buchanan. Daisy, now married to the wealthy and brutish Tom Buchanan, lives in East Egg, a community symbolizing inherited wealth and social status.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940184642895
Publisher:	F. Scott Fitzgerald
Publication date:	04/11/2025
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	417 KB

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer, widely regarded as one of the greatest literary voices of the 20th century. His work captures the essence of the Jazz Age, a term he himself is credited with popularizing.

Early Life and Education
Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota, into a middle-class family. He attended Princeton University, where he developed his talent for writing, though he left before graduating to join the army during World War I. While in the military, he began work on a novel that would eventually become This Side of Paradise.

Literary Career
Fitzgerald’s literary success came early. At the age of 23, he published This Side of Paradise (1920), a semi-autobiographical novel that captured the disillusionment and exuberance of youth in postwar America. It was an immediate success and established him as a prominent new voice in American literature.

His major works include:

This Side of Paradise (1920)

The Beautiful and Damned (1922)

The Great Gatsby (1925)

Tender Is the Night (1934)

The Last Tycoon (unfinished; published posthumously in 1941)

Fitzgerald was also a prolific short story writer, contributing regularly to magazines like The Saturday Evening Post. These stories often financed his lifestyle

Date of Birth:

September 24, 1896

Date of Death:

December 21, 1940

Place of Birth:

St. Paul, Minnesota

Education:

Princeton University

Editorial Reviews

"More than any other novel of the 1920s, The Great Gatsby captured the disillusionment of a postwar generation in America. Fitzgerald's prose is as precise as it is poetic."

The Atlantic Literary Archives - N/A