The Twenties by Edmund Wilson, a lifelong friend of Fitzgerald from their Princeton University days, serves as an engaging introduction to the decade and its prominent American cultural figures. Another notable work by Wilson that covers the Twenties and Thirties is The Shores of Light, published in 1952. This book includes personal reflections, sketches, letters, satires, and essays on American literary classics.

Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad was one of Fitzgerald's literary favorites. Fitzgerald employed Conrad's narrative techniques in The Great Gatsby. This novella tells the story of Mr. Kurtz, a civilized man who ventures into the depths of Africa only to confront his own inner darkness.

Citizen Kane, the iconic 1941 film by Orson Welles, chronicles the life of a mogul who achieves immense financial success but discovers that his true happiness lies in a childhood memory of “Rosebud.” This classic film explores the true value of gains and losses.

Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1922, is the author's second collection of short stories. The most famous story in this collection is “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz.” The recurring themes of fantasy, achieving success, and winning the most desirable girl are central to this and other stories in the collection.

Great Expectations (1861) by Charles Dickens narrates the story of an orphan's harsh childhood and his encounters with wealth and lost love in Victorian England. While there are many differences between this novel and Fitzgerald's works, there are also notable similarities, especially regarding dreams and human relationships.