1896 – 1940

Fitzgerald was named after his distant relative, Francis Scott Key.

Fitzgerald was born into an upper middle class family. He split his childhood between New York and Minnesota.

Fitzgerald attended three different preparatory schools before entering Princeton University in 1913.

Fitzgerald was a mediocre student at best and spent more time in the Princeton Triangle Club (a campus theatre group) than he spent on his studies.

In his senior year Fitzgerald dropped out of school rather than flunk out.

Upon dropping out he enlisted in the United States Army after the United States entered World War I.

While in the army Fitzgerald wrote the novel The Romantic Egoist. Though his writing was praised the novel was rejected by publishers.

The war ended shortly after Fitzgerald’s enlistment.

While stationed at Camp Sheridan (Montgomery, Alabama) Fitzgerald met Zelda Sayre (1900 – 1948).

Zelda was a member of Alabama society and the daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge.

Fitzgerald took a job working in advertising after the war and

became engaged to Zelda. Feeling that he could not support the two Zelda broke off the engagement.

Fitzgerald moved back to Minnesota to work on rejected novel The Romantic Egoist.

He adapted the novel to This Side of Paradise.

The novel was published later the same year and became one of the most popular novels of the year.

Fitzgerald became an instant celebrity and one week after the release of the

novel, Zelda and Fitzgerald married in NYC.

In 1921, their only child Frances Scott “Scottie” Fitzgerald was born.

Having a child did not slow down their extravagant lifestyle that included heavy drinking and many parties.

Fitzgerald is credited with creating the term “The Jazz Age”, he and Zelda would attend wild parties and spend time with many popular celebrities of the time.

When money began to run out, Fitzgerald wrote and published short stories.

Fitzgerald was part of the American literature movement known as Modernism.

Modernism lasted from 1914 – 1945, the period between the two world wars.

Modernists felt that due to the war America had lost it’s innocence, their literature was marked with the idea of living for the moment.

Modernist ideals coincided nicely with the roaring twenties.

Major Modernist authors include: Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck, Zora Neale Hurston, T.S. Eliot and F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Fitzgerald belonged to a group of authors known as the Expatriates. These were American artists who disillusioned with the break down of the American dream spent a considerable amount of time in Europe.

Zelda experienced many breakdowns and was eventually institutionalized.

Fitzgerald remained married to her until her death, but met and feel in love with movie columnist, Sheilah Graham.

He died in 1940. In many ways his death was like Gatsby’s. He has slipped into virtual oblivion and many of his obituaries were condescending and focused on his hardships. No friends were to be found.

Published in 1925. The Great Gatsby is based partially on

Fitzgerald’s own life. Connections can be made between Fitzgerald and the title character of Gatsby as well as the narrator of the story.

The story takes place in 1922, during the roaring twenties.

Nick Carraway Nick is the narrator of the story. Though the story is told from

Carraway’s point of view he attempts to be detached from what is happening, however he is part of the story.

This poses a question for the reader: “Can we totally trust Nick’s account of the story?”

Jay Gatsby Gatsby is the main character of the

story. Little is known about Gatsby other than

he throws extravagant parties and has accumulated a vast wealth.

Daisy Buchanan Daisy is Nick’s cousin (though a distant

cousin). Daisy is married to Tom Buchanan. Daisy is the main female character in

the story.

Tom Buchanan Tom is roughly the same age as Nick,

the two went to college together. Tom is a man of enormous wealth.

Myrtle Wilson A woman considerably farther down the

social ladder than main characters such as Tom or Gatbsy.

A woman who has dreams bigger than what she can actually attain.

Mass-production and chain stores drove down prices

Concept of credit introduced Runaway consumer credit was part of

the cause of the Great Depression Americans spending more on

entertainment Movies with sound available for the first

time- The Jazz Singer was the first commercially-released “talkie”

More people living in cities that on farms for the first time

Politicians supported big business- detrimental to small businesses and farmers

Greed, desire to accumulate wealth quickly, and a desire to “return to normalcy” after WWI drove the nation to the stock market crash

Prohibition began on January 16, 1920 President Coolidge (as a senator voted

FOR prohibition) kept the White House stocked with illegal liquor

Prohibition banned manufacture, sale, and transport, not possession

Speakeasies- patron had to “speak easy” to get the doorman to let them in. Underground drinking establishment where alcohol was available

Alcohol smuggled from Canada Home brewing was popular

Commercial wine only available through government warehouses for “religious purposes”

Whiskey available by prescription- over 1 million gallons prescribed and consumed each year

Discrepancy between law and actual practice contributed to the widespread disdain for authority that accompanied the soldiers home after WWI

Prohibition opened the door for organized crime- AL Capone

Over time gangsters bribed elected officials to keep quiet about their illegal affairs

Allusions to be studied:Stoddard’s The Rising Tide of Color Against

White World SupremacyKaiser WilhelmRosy Rosenthal“Black Sox” teamTrimalchio

Fitzgerald exposes but leaves undeveloped three social issues:Racism, domestic violence, and loosening of

moral standards

Story set in summer of 1922 near New York City in the towns of East and West Egg.

Fitzgerald known for imagistic and poetic prose

Topics largely influenced by surroundings and experiences

Take notice of names, dates, and agesNames to enhance character developmentDates and ages define beginning and ending

of the dreams and tie Fitzgerald’s life happenings to those of Gatsby and the 1920s

Motifs (any element, subject, idea or concept that is constantly present through the entire body of literature) and symbols used to develop the theme: Geography- defines social stratification Weather- reflects human conditions Green light and eyes of T.J. Eckleburg- meaning

changes/signifies different things to different characters and the reader

In order to fully appreciate the novel, it must be examined in its full historical context as the 1920s was an era of great change

America saw great growth ,change, and prosperity as well as corruption.

There was rampant materialism Post- WWI manufacturing flourished with

cars, radios, telephones, etc. Consumer goods flooded the market Professional sports grew in popularity Immigration increased drastically Threat of differing political ideas and the

loss of American jobs to foreigners created an intense dislike of outsiders

In 1919, the scandal with the World Series involving the White Sox rocked the sports worldThe events of the series are often

associated with the Black Sox Scandal, when several members of the Chicago franchise conspiredwith gamblers to throw  the World Series games. 

Organized crime makes an appearance during the prohibition years

Warren Harding’s administration was plagued by scandal and corruption The 'Teapot Dome scandal' was a bribery incident that took place

in the United States from 1921 to 1924, during the administration of President Warren G. Harding. Secretary of the Interior Albert Bacon Fall had leased Navy petroleum reserves at Teapot Dome in Wyoming and two other locations in California to private oil companies at low rates without competitive bidding. In 1922 and 1923, the leases became the subject of a sensational investigation by Senator Thomas J. Walsh. Fall was later convicted of accepting bribes from the oil companies and became the first Cabinet member to go to prison.

Before the Watergate scandal, Teapot Dome was regarded as the "greatest and most sensational scandal in the history of American politics".[1] The scandal damaged the public reputation of the Harding administration, which was already severely diminished by its poor handling of the Great Railroad Strike of 1922 and the President's veto of the Bonus Bill in 1922.[2]

After the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote women challenged traitional notions of femininity. Bobbed their hairThrew out corsetsSmoked and drankFace of motherhood changedWomen who held factory jobs during the

war refused to return home

Death of the American Dream- All Americans are born with equal opportunity to use their talents to improve their economic standing and secure future happiness. Gatsby can be seen as a critique of this ideal: He accumulates wealth but is unable to secure happiness and social standing.

The Stratification (the relative social position of persons in a given social group,

category, geographical region or other social unit) of Social Classes- Comparisons between old, new, and no money. Each group has a specific place in society and each group is represented by a character(s) in the story.

The Upper Class’ Lack of Integrity- Fitzgerald explores characters, situations, settings, that depict a lack of integrity among members of the upper class. (extramarital affairs, dishonesty, lying, cruelty, carelessness, etc.)

Created by Lord Byron Larger-than-life, flawed, and a rebel Conflicting emotions and excessiveness moodiness Passionate about a particular issue Introspective and critical of himself Struggles with sense of integrity Has a troubled or mysterious past Can be cynical, demanding, or arrogant Is a loner Fiercely independent and strongly individual Exhibits self-destructive tendencies and behavior

Created by Aristotle Man Rises to a high position and fall from it Usually experiences utter desolation or death Two forces are equally powerful: Tragic flaw (hamartia)

and fate Through the years this idea of fate has fallen away and

people believed individuals are in charge of their own destinies

About a decade after publication of the novel, Arthur Miller (remember him?) suggested that the tragic flaw is simply the attempt to gain, or regain, what the hero considers to be their rightful status in society

Miller says the tragic hero exemplifies our “underlying fear of being displaced…torn away from our chosen image of what or who we are in this world.”