Who Wrote The Great Gatsby?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the best-known novels in the history of American Literature. F. Scott Fitzgerald is one of the greatest novelists in American history. He often wrote about the American Dream. He turns the foundational parameters of American culture on their head and exposes a vulnerable underbelly. 

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) wanted to create a name for himself to raise his social standing above his unsuccessful family. Fitzgerald held notions of wealth and grandeur. He wrote about these ideals often; they are seen clearly in The Great Gatsby. 

Fitzgerald briefly attended Princeton University before flunking out and joining the Army. While stationed in Montgomery, Alabama, he met his future wife, Zelda. She initially rebuked his advances due to his financial instability. Fitzgerald, however, eventually won Zelda’s hand and soon after published his first novel, This Side of Paradise (1920).

Like many modernist novelists, Fitzgerald and Zelda found themselves expatriates in 1924 in the French Riviera. They were attempting to escape the burdens of their newfound wealth. Fitzgerald published The Great Gatsby (1925) while in France, meditating on the American Dream he had abandoned when faced with the cruel reality of its devastating nature. 

Unfortunately, the Fitzgeralds spent the next decade of their lives consumed by drink and chaos — a bad combination that led to several mental breakdowns for Zelda, alcoholism for F. Scott Fitzgerald, and a failed novel published in 1934, Tender is the Night. Much like the characters in The Great Gatsby, the Fitzgerald’s experienced their own family issues. F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in 1940. Their estranged marriage never ended in divorce.

When Was the Great Gatsby Written?

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald was first published in 1925. This was the height of the cultural era that has come to be known as the Roaring 20s. Gatsby uses imagery and symbolism from the Roaring 20s. Some of these include extreme displays of wealth, the pivotal role of Prohibition and alcohol, the driving force of increased advertising and consumption, and the position of women in society. 

Roaring 20s Summary

The Roaring 20s came into existence due to an economic boom post World War I combined with the rise of the industrial era in America as people flocked to urban centers across the country. The 1920s saw new freedoms for women and African Americans due to each group’s involvement in recent war efforts. The fight for equality, however, was just ramping up. 

A Roaring 20s summary is simple: it is founded on individual prosperity. Newfound prosperity and freedom characterized the Roaring 20s as more people gained access to wealth that had previously only been used by the ultra-elite. As a result, parties, music, clothes, alcohol, and cars abounded in the 20s. In their fight for equality, women shrugged off societal expectations and norms in favor of bold stylistic choices. Short hair and a propensity for Jazz and dancing were common. Those who belonged to the ultra-elite despised the influx of new money. Most believed themselves to be part of a higher social class due to the legacy of their inherited wealth. 

Prohibition

The defining feature of the Roaring 20s was, of course, Prohibition. The 18th amendment introduced Prohibition in the United States.. Constitution. This law outlawed the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol to create a more virtuous society. Police enforced Prohibition laws. The result was a booming bootleg alcohol industry and the rise of the speakeasy as a venue to distribute alcohol. Prohibition directly created the need for an organized criminal network to produce and transport alcohol. Al Capone and other mobsters capitalized on this need.

Read more about Gatsby and 1920s America here.

Why is The Great Gatsby Considered a Classic?

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is widely considered a classic, even touted as the Great American Novel by some.

Above all, The Great Gatsby is a classic American novel simply because its story remains relevant today, nearly 100 years after its publication. Americans and readers from across the globe can find themselves in the characters and find meaning and importance in the novel’s universal themes.

Gatsby grapples with elevating his social status enough to be worthy of Daisy, and discovers that it simply was not about money. The hypocrisy of the elite is seen through the actions of Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who “smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together and let other people clean up the mess they had made.” Daisy wishes her daughter to be a fool since that is “the best thing a girl can be in this world.” From these characters emerge universal themes centered on the American Dream, class, and love.

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The Concept of the Great American Novel

The Great American Novel embodies American cultural values and reflects on America’s national character. John William DeForest created the term “the Great American Novel” in his 1868 essay. He claimed that no writer had yet been able to complete the “task of painting the American soul within the framework of a novel.” Admittedly, though, there were several contenders that came close. Defrost said that Great American Novel would be “the picture of the ordinary emotions and manners of American existence.” However, capturing the emotions and manners of the diverse individuals that make up America is very difficult.

There have been many novels to make the shortlist of contenders for the title of The Great American Novel. These novels are classics because they capture the emotions of Americans. This causes the reader to reflect on the question of the country’s national character. By many accounts, The Great Gatsby is on that shortlist for its ability to capture the ideal of the American Dream and for its continued relevance. Additionally, Fitzgerald’s beautifully executed mastery of the American prose helps to cement this novel’s place in history. 

Conclusion

Fitzgerald’s view of American society in the 1920s stood the test of time for nearly a century. Mostly, this is due to its continued relevance to American culture. His idea of the American Dream, turning the ideology of American culture on its head and exposing a vulnerable underbelly, is what describes Gatsby. Present-day America grapples with similar problems as the America seen in Gatsby. Readers can still relate with these themes today. They serve as a point of reflection on American cultural values and the question of America’s national character.

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