GATSBY: FINAL CHAPTER

Check out this extraordinary study guide:

http://genius.com/albums/F-scott-fitzgerald/The-great-gatsby

Just go through the lines of this wonderful novel and click on any word/s you are interested in. The required information will appear on the right-hand side of your screen.

TIP: You can do it while listening to music from the Jazz Age;)

F. Scott Fitzgerald just didn't pluck the idea for Gatsby out of thin air. No, the book is loosely based on his own experiences in trying to woo his wife Zelda, a rich and pretty socialite, when he was just a penniless writer. Some critics even see it as a thinly-veiled autobiography. Fitzgerald and Zelda went on to be the party animals of the 20s - living it up in Paris, drinking and dancing, partying and holidaying, gaining the reputation of 'crazy' by many of their contemporaries. 

Also, the fate of Gatsby when it was first published almost mirrors that of the lead character himself - it was a flop on first publication, failing to alight the interests of readers and critics. alike. Unfortunately, Fitzgerald died (at the young age of forty-four) before he could see it claim any of its great success. Now it sells half a million copies in the U.S. each year and is listed as one of the greatest books of all time.