Spiritualism Versus Materialism in Fitzgerald's Novel "The Great Gatsby"

Abstract

When F. Scott Fitzgerald first published his novel The Great Gatsby in 1925, it was received with little or no attention from the critics because they saw in it a real documentation of the period and hence nothing surprising or creative in it. Fortunately, this misconception of treating a creative work as an historical record lasted only for a short time and the novel got the attention it deserved as more readers and critics came to acknowledge its excellence. In a very short time the novel became a best-seller and its author gained money and reputation. Now the novel is considered one of the best American literary works in the twentieth century