Get the latest tech news

Borne Back Ceaselessly into the Past: Fitzgerald, Gatsby and WWI

“The Great Gatsby,” written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, offers a vivid portrayal of post-World War I America.

He wrote his first draft for “This Side of Paradise” during this period – and (as he later told it to the Saturday Evening Post) was reprimanded for writing it instead of studying infantry tactics by his training officer, future five-star general and 34th President of the United States Dwight D. Eisenhower. We stayed there two days and two nights, a hundred and thirty men with sixteen Lewis guns, and when the infantry came up at last they found the insignia of three German divisions among the piles of dead.” —Jay Gatsby telling his story to Nick Carraway Not only did they volunteer for organizations like the Red Cross, Salvation Army and the YMCA/YWCA at home and overseas, but many entered the paid workforce for the first time, filling roles as factory workers, switchboard operators, technicians and jobs in countless other industries.

Get the Android app