The Great Gatsby Published
1925 · 20th Century
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby was published by Charles Scribner's Sons on April 10, 1925. Set on Long Island during the Jazz Age, the story follows narrator Nick Carraway's encounters with the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby. Initially a commercial disappointment selling fewer than 20,000 copies, the novel gained widespread recognition after free copies were distributed to American soldiers during World War II.
Key Figures
F. Scott FitzgeraldMaxwell PerkinsCharles Scribner IIFrancis Cugat
Locations
FranceNew York CityCharles Scribner's Sons Building
Topics
fitzgeraldliteraturejazznovelamerican
Connected Events — 2 Connections
Gatsby depicted the speculative excess of the 1920s; the novel was commercially revived after the 1929 crash reframed it as prophecy of the hollow materialism that preceded the Depression The Great Depression Begins
Roaring Twenties culture of conspicuous wealth jazz and bootlegging on Long Island directly provided the setting and social milieu Fitzgerald depicted in The Great Gatsby The Roaring 20s
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