The Great Gatsby

The Great Gatsby is a tragedy novel published in 1925. Its story unfolds on Long Island, near New York City, during the Jazz Age. Nick Carraway narrates, telling of his dealings with his neighbour Jay Gatsby, a wealthy and mysterious man who holds lavish parties yet does not join them. Gatsby is intent on winning back Daisy Buchanan, a woman he loved before; she is married to Tom Buchanan. The book examines class, inherited and self-made wealth, gender, race and the environment, and looks cynically at the American Dream.

Why You Should Read?

• Follow Nick Carraway as he records his encounters with his wealthy neighbour and the people around him.
• Meet Jay Gatsby, a rich and puzzling man who longs to win back Daisy Buchanan.
• Explore how the book examines class, wealth passed down or earned, gender, race and the environment.
• Understand the book's doubtful view of the American Dream and what it costs the people in it.

About the Author

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an American novelist, essayist and short story writer who lived from 1896 to 1940. His novels depict the flamboyance and excess of the Jazz Age, a term he popularised in a story collection. He published four novels, four story collections and 164 short stories, and he found brief success and fortune in the 1920s, though acclaim came only after his death. Many now consider him among the finest American writers of the twentieth century.