Setting

Time

Set in 1922 during the glamorous Jazz Age (a term invented by Fitzgerald), The Great Gatsby is full of descriptions of the lifestyle of the wealthy during that era. It was a time of huge social change; society was shifting after the chaos of World War I, and the traditional hierarchy of the aristocracy, the middle classes and the working class were changing. Some members of the middle classes had become very rich, causing a shift in economic power.

More people from normal backgrounds were buying large houses and hosting popular and extravagant social events (much like Gatsby). However, many members of the upper classes, like Daisy and Tom, refused to accept the social claims of people with “new money”, instead choosing to mix only with members of their own aristocratic circle. For Gatsby, this is something he cannot understand; he hosts his lavish parties in the hope that Daisy will attend one, unaware that Daisy is not the sort o...