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Written 100 years ago by a writer who died believing himself a failure, "The Great Gatsby" (1925) is now considered by many readers and critics to be the “Great American Novel.” In this talk, Maureen Corrigan will explore "The Great Gatsby's" status as the first "Great American Urban Novel." The 1920 census was the first census that recorded more Americans living in cities than in rural areas. "Gatsby" reflects this seismic shift: the novel is both fascinated with and wary of the mixing of classes, races, and ethnicities that a crowded and compact city like New York offers. As we celebrate "Gatsby's" centennial on April 10, 2025, Corrigan also invites us to take note of the many instances in "Gatsby" where Fitzgerald warns about the limits of the American dream of egalitarianism and possibility. This event is sponsored by the Future of the Humanities Project and the Georgetown Humanities Initiative at Georgetown University with Blackfriars Hall, Oxford. It is part of the series Cultural Encounters: Books that Have Made a Difference.