Overview
This editorial introduction to The Great Gatsby by establishes the novel's extraordinary place in American education and literature. Rather than summarizing the plot in detail, the introduction frames the novel as a deceptively simple tragedy that resonates far beyond its story of love and loss among wealthy Long Islanders. The piece argues that the true protagonist of the novel is not any single character but America itself, making a case for why Fitzgerald's slim 1925 masterpiece continues to dominate high school reading lists and capture the national imagination a century later.
Historical Context
Set during the summer of 1922, The Great Gatsby emerged from a turbulent decade in American history. The nation had recently survived World War I, and the generation that fought it turned to extravagant living as compensation. The 1920s — which Fitzgerald himself dubbed "the Jazz Age" — were marked by unprecedented economic prosperity, the rise of consumer culture, Prohibition-era speakeasies, and a dramatic shift away from Victorian-era conservatism. Fitzgerald, writing from Paris in 1924, channeled this atmosphere of reckless optimism and moral ambiguity into a novel that captured both the allure and the rot beneath the surface of the American boom.
Themes Preview
The introduction identifies several themes that run through the novel. Chief among them is the critique of the American Dream — the unsettling suggestion that the nation's celebrated dynamism and exceptionalism may conceal "some great American imperfection." The tension between traditional and modern values in 1920s America forms the novel's backdrop, while the personal tragedy of Jay Gatsby's obsessive love for Daisy Buchanan dramatizes the cost of pursuing an idealized vision. The introduction also highlights the novel's exploration of class divisions, embodied in the contrast between Gatsby's new money and the Buchanans' inherited privilege, and the gap between appearance and reality — the "veneer" that, once stripped away, reveals uncomfortable truths about American society.
Literary Significance
The Great Gatsby was not a commercial success when it was first published in April 1925, and Fitzgerald died in 1940 believing himself a failure. The novel's resurrection came during World War II, when the U.S. military distributed it to soldiers overseas, and by the 1950s it had secured its place in the American literary canon. It has since been adapted into four major motion pictures and is widely considered the quintessential American novel. The introduction notes the challenge students face in writing about a book so thoroughly analyzed, recommending a personal and original approach rather than retreading well-cataloged imagery and plot summaries.