Creighton Taylor
December 19, 2002
Period 2

The Great Gatsby
Author: Francis Scott Fitzgerald
Genre: Drama Fiction

Biographical Information

	F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota during September 24, 1896.  He was the only son of a Catholic family.  Although his family associated with the rich they did not have enough money to be considered rich.  Fitzgerald wrote for a newspaper called “the tiger” while he attended Princeton College.  He wanted to marry a girl named Zelda Sair, but she would not marry him until she was sure that he could support her.  Fitzgerald became an overnight success from the novel “This Side of Paradise” published in September of 1919.  Zelda married him in April of 1921.  The Great Gatsby didn’t sell, and Fitzgerald did not have money to maintain the life he hoped.  Zelda dies after being institutionalized as a schizophrenic. He became a chronic alcoholic, especially during his last ten years.  He had a first heart attack in November 1944, and another to end his life one-month later.
	Fitzgerald was a short story and scriptwriter. Fitzgerald will always have a prominent place in American literature.

Historical Context

	The Great Gatsby was written during 1924.  The time period happened to be in the middle of the “Roaring Twenties”, a time when everyone loved being an American.  It was right after the First World War and the Nationalistic light was shining brighter than ever before.  Unfortunately, it was only five years before the stock crash of 1929 and the following “Great Depression”.  This might explain the failure of Fitzgerald’s later novels.  The fact that The Great Gatsby wasn’t a success is quite ironic considering how great a book it was during the time of Euphoria.

Quotes

1.	“What’ll we do with ourselves this afternoon?  Cried Daisy, and the day after that, and the next thirty years/”
2.	“Her voice is full of money”
3.	“Can’t repeat the past?…Why of course you can!”
4.	“The rich get richer and the poor get – children”
5.	“The Middle West now seemed like the ragged edge of the universe.”
6.	“After Gatsby’s death the East was haunted for me like that, distorted beyond my eye’s power of correction.”
7.	“Daisy, gleaming like silver, safe and proud above the hot struggles of the poor.”

Book Response
Literary Critic

	The Great Gatsby was a novel that consisted of greed, deceit, vulgarity, adultery, murder, and snobbery.  Everything was there!  If I had to rate this book, I would rate it a ten.  This novel relates to life now and forever.  There can be many lessons learned: 1) Don’t live a life of illusion, always be in touch with reality; 2) materialistic things aren’t the key to happiness; 3)  no matter how much you have, you’re inclined to want more.  The list goes on and on.  The Great Gatsby should be a standard or idol for other books.  I would definitely recommend this book to all readers; whether man or woman, young or old, purple or green.  Go out and get this book today!