One of the foremost writers of the twentieth century, the work of Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald (1896-1940) is synonymous with the artistic innovation and giddy excess of the roaring twenties. Born in St. Paul, Minnesota, Fitzgerald grew up on the fringes of the city's social elite, keenly aware of wealth, privilege, and his own exclusion from high society. This class consciousness would inform the themes of many of his works, most famously The Great Gatsby.

Judith John is a writer and editor specializing in literature and history. A former secondary school English Language and Literature teacher, she has subsequently worked as an editor on major educational projects, including English A: Literature for the Pearson International Baccalaureate series. Judith's major research interests include Romantic and Gothic literature, and Renaissance drama.