Video SparkNotes: F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby summary

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (September 24, 1896 – December 21, 1940) was a member of the famed "Lost Generation" of American writers. His tales are iconic descriptions of America during the "Jazz Age" (the 1920s), a term coined by Fitgerald himself. The Great Gatsby is considered one of the best 20th-century novels by many readers. It is a tale on the frailty of the American Dream and the brutality and shallowness of crude materialism. Gatsby's efforts to recapture his romantic past will prove futile and ultimately tragic.