Political Nonfiction Impact On The Great Gatsby

It is often an aspect of literature analysis to consider the historical circumstances surrounding the text. Authors are often inspired by the events and culture of their era and the ones before it. Perhaps more importantly, though, is the impact that literature can have on history. To truly understand the history of a time period, one must be familiar with the literature surrounding that time period. Through nonfiction and fiction political publications, dystopian novels, and even fictional novels for entertainment, American literature has had a significant cimpact on United States history. The impact that political nonfiction has on history is fairly straightforward. The direct political commentary of this type of literature brings social, political, or economic issues to the awareness of American people and illustrates the

The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925 about the life of a man in the 1920s. Though at a glance the novel may seem like a lighthearted read about parties and love, the commentary on the roaring 20s was actually much deeper. The novel was not appreciated during Fitzgerald’s lifetime, perhaps because it has even greater significance in modern society than it did at the time it was written. From a modern lens, one can see the real tragedy of the characters’ life style, even before the action begins. It is made clear that even those with wealth and opportunity did not have the perfect lives they were portrayed to have. In this way, The Great Gatsby effectively shatters the facade of the American Dream and changes the way Americans view our history and that time period. The actions of people during the 1920s contributed to the Great Depression and by having this novel to illustrate the issues in society at this time period, another depression of the same magnitude has, so far, been avoided, despite times of similar