Introduction

Fitzgerald: The Great Gatsby

In this course, Professor John McRae (University of Nottingham) explores F. Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby. The course begins with a broader introduction to the novel, thinking about the context in which the novel was written and published, its alternative title ('Trimalchio in West Egg'), and introducing some of its key themes – love, loss, wealth, ambition. Each of the following nine sections is dedicated to one of the chapters of the novel, providing close reading and in-depth analysis of the novel's major characters, themes and motifs.

Introduction

This module provides a broad introduction to F. Scott Fitzgerald's Great Gatsby (1925), focusing in particular on the period in which the novel was written and published and the significance of the original title of the novel ('Trimalchio in West Egg') before thinking about some of its key themes – love, loss, wealth and ambition.