There are a million reasons why you, the reader,  should know at least a little bit about F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and the Jazz Age; In order to understand and grasp the concept of Fitzgerald's most prestigious novel: The Great Gatsby.

The 1920s which have many names in America: the Roaring Twenties, the Boom, the Jazz Age (the name Fitzgerald himself invented). It was a period of wild economic prosperity, cultural flowering and a shaking up of social mores. Here is a video that I found very helpful for capturing the intense life of F. Scott Fitzgerald. 

[...] It’s like begging for mercy of a storm or killing Beauty or
 growing old, without you. Nobody’s got any right to live but us
 – and they’re dirtying up our world
and I can’t hate them because I want you so.’