Fitzgerald met Zelda Sayre while stationed in Alabama, and they married after This Side of Paradise made him famous. What context does that give Gatsby?

Fitzgerald attended Princeton but left before graduating. Which Gatsby concern does that background most directly illuminate?

Before his first novel sold, Fitzgerald worked in advertising in New York and wrote stories for magazines. Which tension in his career does that show?

Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, not into an East Coast old-money dynasty. How does that fact help a reader approach Gatsby?

Fitzgerald and Zelda became famous for public glamour and financial strain. Which Gatsby theme does that biography echo without proving the novel is autobiography?

Prohibition made alcohol sales illegal and profitable in the 1920s. How does Gatsby use that context?

East Egg and West Egg divide old money from new money. Which character pairing best fits that social map?

The 1920s brought mass consumer culture, faster cars, and luxury advertising. Which plot detail makes that context matter?

After the 19th Amendment, public images of modern women changed in the 1920s. Which Gatsby character most clearly reflects that shift?

World War I shaped Fitzgerald's generation. Which Gatsby fact uses that postwar context?

The American Dream promises self-making, but Gatsby complicates that promise. Which detail best connects the context to the novel?

The Great Gatsby was published by Charles Scribner's Sons in 1925. Which literary-period label best fits its place in American literature?

Gatsby sold modestly in 1925, and Fitzgerald died before its later fame. What does that reception history show?

Maxwell Perkins edited Fitzgerald at Scribner's. Why is that publication fact important?

Fitzgerald's 1922 story collection was titled Tales of the Jazz Age. What does that title help explain?

Some 1925 reviewers admired Gatsby, but it was not a runaway bestseller. Which statement is most accurate?

A student says Fitzgerald based Gatsby entirely on one Long Island neighbor. How should that claim be treated?

A student writes, "Daisy is just Zelda Fitzgerald with a different name." What is the most careful response?

A classmate claims every reader hated Gatsby in 1925. Which famous writer wrote to Fitzgerald that it was "the first step that American fiction has taken since Henry James"?

Someone says The Great Gatsby responds to the 1929 stock market crash. What is the problem with that claim?

A critic says Gatsby's 1920s setting is not decoration but part of the plot. Which evidence best supports that claim?

A biographer uses Fitzgerald's life to explain Gatsby. What warning should a close reader keep in mind?

A historian links 1920s advertising to Gatsby's self-invention. Which textual detail would be the best evidence?

A reviewer argues Gatsby's canon status changed over time. Which evidence belongs in that argument?

A student says old money and new money are just background labels in Gatsby. Which response uses context and plot together?