A novel of its own kind.

1. The Great
Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Instructor: Bibi Halima
Bibi.halima@uow.edu.pk

3. Original Cover of the Novel

5. The Great Gatsby may be the most popular classic in modern
American fiction. Since its publication in 1925, Fitzgerald's
masterpiece has become a touchstone for generations of
readers and writers, many of whom reread it every few years
as a ritual of imaginative renewal. The story of Jay Gatsby's
desperate quest to win back his first love reverberates with
themes at once characteristically American and universally
human, among them the importance of honesty, the
temptations of wealth, and the struggle to escape the past.
Though The Great Gatsby runs to fewer than two hundred
pages, there is no bigger read in American literature.
What Is This Novel All About?

6. What Is This Novel All About?
1. The Great Gatsby is a tragic love story, a mystery, and a social
commentary on American life.
Although it was not a commercial success for Fitzgerald during his
lifetime, this lyrical novel has become an acclaimed masterpiece read
and taught throughout the world.
Unfolding in nine concise chapters, The Great Gatsby concerns
the wasteful lives of four wealthy characters
It is a story about extravagance that takes place in the 1920s. However,
in a world of money, there is an understanding that there is new money
and old money, and the rivalry in richness is depicted.
The world of Gatsby seems lavish, but it is no less human. As the
characters are revealed, they often look inward; it is at these moments
that the reader will reflect on his or her life

7. Setting of the Novel
 1920s and New York City
 This is in-between World War I and World
War II
 The story also takes place during Prohibition,
 which means that alcohol is illegal
 The world celebrates the rich, but the rivalry
between the rich will be strong

8. Roaring Twenties
The Roaring Twenties was a decade of economic growth and
widespread prosperity, driven by recovery from wartime
devastation and deferred spending, a boom in construction, and
the rapid growth of consumer goods such as automobiles and
electricity in North America and Europe and a few other developed
countries such as Australia. The economy of the United States,
which had successfully transitioned from a wartime Economy to a
peacetime economy, boomed and provided loans for a European
boom as well. Some sectors stagnated, especially farming and coal
mining. The US became the richest country in the world per capita
and since the late-19th century had been the largest in total GDP.
Its industry was based on mass production, and its society
acculturated into consumerism. European economies, by contrast,
had a more difficult postwar readjustment and did not begin to
flourish until about 1924.

9. In most texts, we have an omniscient narrator. The
role of the this narrator is to chronicle the events of a
story in an impartial way. He or she has full access to
the events and dialogue occurring in the narrative,
rendering his or her account the most complete and
accurate. This all-knowing, all-seeing narrator type
jumps from scene to scene, following characters
throughout a story and assessing the progress of the
narrative
Point of View of the Novel
The story is told through Nick Carraway’s
eyes, but he is, at times, unreliable. While
the events always unfold in natural and
clear ways, he displays characteristics that
are inherently deceitful or confusing.

10. Major
Characters of
the Novel

13. Nick Carraway
Nick, a young Midwesterner educated
at Yale, is the novel's narrator. When
he moves to the West Egg area of
Long Island, he joins the lavish social
world of Tom, Jordan, Gatsby, and
Daisy.

14. Jay Gatsby
The handsome, mysterious Gatsby,
who lives in a mansion next door
to Nick's cottage, is known for his
lavish parties. Nick, whom he
trusts, gradually learns about
Gatsby's past and his love for
Daisy.

15. Daisy Buchanan
Beautiful, charming, and spoiled,
Daisy is the object of Gatsby's love.
Her caprice and materialism lead her
to marry Tom Buchanan.

16. Tom Buchanan
From an enormously wealthy Chicago
family, Tom is a former Yale football
star who sees himself at the top of
an exclusive social hierarchy. He is
conceited, violent, racist, and
unfaithful.

17. Jordan Baker
Daisy's friend Jordan epitomizes the
modern woman of the 1920s. A
liberated, competitive golfer, she is
firmly established in high society. She
both attracts and repels Nick as a
romantic interest.

18. George Wilson
The owner of an auto garage at the
edge of the valley of ashes, George
finds his only happiness through his
faithless wife, Myrtle.

19. Myrtle Wilson
Myrtle dreams of belonging to a
higher social class than George can
offer. Vivacious and sensual, she
hopes her adulterous affair will lead
to a life of glamour.

21. Some people think having
money leads to happiness. Do
you agree? Why or why not?
What are the advantages or
disadvantages of being
affluent?