The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 Jazz Age novel about the impossibility of recapturing the past, was initially a failure. Today, the story of Gatsby’s doomed love for the unattainable Daisy is considered a defining novel of the 20th century. Explore a character analysis of Gatsby, plot summary, and important quotes.

Summary

Read a Plot Overview of the entire book or a chapter-by-chapter Summary and Analysis.

Characters

See a complete list of the characters in The Great Gatsby and in-depth analyses of Jay Gatsby, Nick Carraway, Daisy Buchanan, and more. 

Main Ideas

Here's where you'll find analysis about The Great Gatsby as a whole, from the major themes and ideas to analysis of style, tone, point of view, and more.

Quotes

Find the quotes you need to support your essay, or refresh your memory of The Great Gatsby by reading these key quotes.

Further Study

Test your knowledge of The Great Gatsby with our quizzes and study questions, or go further with essays on context, background, and movie adaptations, plus links to the best resources around the web.

Writing Help

Get ready to write your paper on The Great Gatsby with our suggested essay topics, sample essays, and more.

Teacher's Handbook

Teachers, check out our ideas for how you can creatively incorporate SparkNotes materials into your classroom instruction.

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The Great Gatsby SparkNotes Literature Guide

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