Flappers and Philosophers

The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel that follows a group of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on affluent Long Island in the summer of 1922.

Controversy exists over the original author of the work, as Fitzgerald was repeatedly accused by novelist Zelda Sayre of plagiarizing entire passages from her diary and letters after she allowed him to read them while she was still his wife.

The story mainly concerns the young, mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion and obsession for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Considered Fitzgerald's masterpiece, The Great Gatsby explores the themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval and excess, creating a portrait of the jazz age, art deco or Roaring Twenties that has been described as a warning about the American dream.

This is a collection of eleven short stories from 1922, divided into three parts according to their subject matter. From the first part, My Last Flappers, we have: "The Jelly-Bean", which introduces us to Jim Powell, a slacker with dreams of social advancement and love, the story is set in the town of Tarleton, Georgia.

"The Camel's Back", based on a real incident that occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1919. "May Day", recounts the events that took place in the spring of 1919, during the general hysteria that ushered in the Jazz Age. The second part, Fantasias, includes: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", inspired by a comment by Mark Twain in which he said that it was a pity that the best of life came at the beginning and the worst at the end.

The third part of Tales of The Jazz Age,Unclassified Masterpieces, contains the last 3 stories: "The Lees of Happiness", "Mr. Icky" and "Jemina".

Tarquin of Cheapsideis a short story that introduces us to Wessel Caster, who is at home when he hears a knock on his door and upon opening it finds a very frightened man who quickly explains that he is running for his life and needs a place to hide.

Although Wessel has his doubts, he decides to help him, while wondering what situation has caused him to flee. Once the pursuers have left, Wessel demands that the stranger explain himself, which he does in written form. Then the protagonist proceeds to read it aloud as the story comes to an end.

While the story is intriguing, many may find this tale somewhat confusing or ambiguous, others may not even understand it the first time, but it should be noted that Fitzgerald wrote it during his college days, so expectations should be set with this in mind.

The Beautiful and Dammnedis the second novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and published in 1922.

Anthony Junior pretends to do nothing for a living but waits for the death of his multimillionaire grandfather, Adam Patch; he meets his wife Gloria through a writer friend, Dick, Gloria's cousin. They marry and then squander their money on trivial expenses, mostly partying.

The couple and their friends are American aristocrats living off family incomes. On one occasion, Anthony and Gloria are having a multi-day party when Anthony's grandfather pays them a surprise visit. From that moment on, catastrophe begins in the young man's life.

One event after another and bad decisions lead Anthony to a decadent life.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttonis a story written by the American author first published in Collier's magazine on May 27, 1922. It was later published in the anthology book Tales of the Jazz Age. The rights to this story belonged to American producer Ray Stark until his death in 2004.

In 2008 a film adaptation was made, directed by David Fincher, scripted by Eric Roth and starring Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett. The screenplay differs quite a bit from the original story, coinciding only in the title, Benjamin's name and some aspects of the rejuvenation process.

Due to copyright laws in the United States, the story entered the public domain in 2010.