We acquire information about Jay Gatsby’s life in historical flashbacks. This is called retrospective narration, and is prominent throughout the novel. A retrospective narrative is when the story being told is not happening at the time the narrator is describing it. The events happened in the past.
Additionally, the information about Jay Gatsby is rarely in chronological order, which emphasises the already established mystery revolving around the character. This is because it adds a degree of difficulty when the reader attempts to put the pieces together and fully comprehend the unique nature of Mr Gatsby.
Finn W 