The Great Gatsby

Published in 1925, this modernist novel is set during the Jazz Age on Long Island and narrated by Nick Carraway. It chronicles the enigmatic millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsessive pursuit of Daisy Buchanan, symbolizing the elusive American Dream. Through tightly controlled prose, symbolic motifs (notably the green light and the eyes of Doctor T. J. Eckleburg), and sharp social commentary, Fitzgerald critiques wealth, illusion, and moral decay in post–World War I America.