I introduced our next novel, "The Great Gatsby" during today's session. First, I provided the historical background of the 1920s -the end of World War I and the advent of Prohibition, and discussed the era as one of both prosperity and disillusionment. I further provided biographical information on Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, and discussed how the novel is autobiographical as well as a chronicle of the "jazz age" , a phrase attributed to Fitzgerald. We then read together the opening pages to examine Fitzgerald's poetic style. Nina first discussed the role of the first person narrator. We then noted how the narrator explains that notwithstanding his non-judgmental nature, he has formed a negative judgment of the opulent old money society of New York. We analyzed the meaning of the metaphors in the opening pages, and discussed why the narrator exempts Gatsby from his negative judgments.