F. Scott Fitzgerald
September 24, 1896 - December 21, 1940
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota to an upper-middle class family (not true)
His grandfather actually paid for his education and his parents were not wealthy
Famous second cousin: Francis Scott Key
He was also named after his deceased sister, Louise Scott, one of two sisters
who died before his birth.
He was unusually intelligent as a kid.
Attended Princeton University
He was so involved with his own writing that his grades started to decline
because he was no longer focused on his coursework.
He dropped out of school in 1917 and joined the U.S. Army
Fitzgerald met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre (1900–1948), the daughter of an Alabama Supreme
Court justice and the "golden girl," in Fitzgerald's terms.
Afraid that he might die in World War I with his literary dreams unfulfilled, in the weeks before reporting
to duty, Fitzgerald hastily wrote a novel called The Romantic Egotist. He was told to resubmit by
Scribner’s.
The war ended in 1918, before Fitzgerald was ever deployed, and upon his discharge he moved to New
York City hoping to launch a career in advertising lucrative enough to convince Zelda to marry him.
Zelda refused to marry Fitzgerald until she was convinced that he could support her financially.
His now revised novel, This Side of Paradise, was accepted by Scribner’s and published on March 26,
1920. It became one of the most popular books of the year. Fitzgerald and Zelda were married in New
York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Their daughter and only child, Frances Scott "Scottie" Fitzgerald, was
born on October 26, 1921.
Seeking a change of scenery to spark his creativity, in
1924, Fitzgerald moved to France, and it was there,
that Fitzgerald wrote what would be credited as his
greatest novel, The Great Gatsby.
Although well-reviewed, the novel did not sell as well
as he would have liked when it was published. It was
not until the 1950s and '60s, long after Fitzgerald's
death, that it achieved its stature as the definitive
portrait of the "Roaring Twenties," as well as one of
the greatest American novels ever written.
Fitzgerald became close friends with Ernest Hemingway.
Hemingway did not get along with Zelda. He described her as “insane” and said that he, "encouraged her
husband to drink so as to distract Fitzgerald from his work”, in his novel, A Moveable Feast.
The Fitzgerald’s had alcohol and financial problems.
In 1930, Zelda was institutionalized after a mental breakdown. And was eventually diagnosed with
schizophrenia.
Rumors: schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism
The hospital costs led to more financial problems. Fitzgerald spent the last few years of his life with Sheila
Graham, a movie columnist.
F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a heart attack in Sheilah’s apartment on December 21, 1940. His health had been
spiraling downward with his severe alcoholism.
Zelda lived on for 8 more years until she died in a hospital fire in Asheville, North Carolina on March 10, 1948.
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American literature can be a way of preserving and documenting real
American life
Realistic settings
Common, average characters
But actually favored ONLY common man, not the unique
Straight forward, authentic plots
These types of plots limit drama
Interesting once or twice.. but the plot of maturity.. loses its appeal
Trying to present in literature, through language, a representation of
objective reality
1910 - 1960
(Automobile, WWI, Great Depression, WWII,)
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Gives order to an ever changing world at the start of the 20th century
New technology and the horrifying events of both World Wars (but specifically World War
I) made many people question the future of humanity: What was becoming of the world?
Questioned truth and authority
Experimental
Fragmentation - used flashbacks and flash forwards with no chronological order
Instead of progress, the Modernist writer saw a decline of civilization. Instead of new
technology, the Modernist writer saw cold machinery and increased capitalism, which
alienated the individual and led to loneliness.
Modernist fiction spoke of the inner self and consciousness and was cast in first person
Stream of consciousness - mimics a character’s thought process - interior monologue
Irony, satire, and comparisons were often employed to point out society's ills. For the
first-time Modernist reader, this can all add up to feel like the story is going nowhere.
People start to see human life as more complex than they did in the 19th century
Darwin - man is a not a unique, but rather a more complex animal
Quantum Theory - universe is more complex than originally believed
Sigmund Freud - humans are not in charge of their own desires, they don’t understand their own actions,
each person is a unique individual who perceives the world in a unique fashion based on his/her own
experiences
In other words: The past is the filter through which the present is understood
Before this time:
“Johnny do you see the same world as Tim?”
“Well of course I do, we all see the world the same way.”
Objective world was seen as knowable.. and if not you were crazy.
We can’t see the objective world anymore. It exists.. chairs. tables..buildings..trees..people..relationships..
BUT can no longer know the objective world. - It is all subjective.
Johnny’s new response:
“Of course not. I see the world based on the things I’ve learned, unique belief system, series of past
experiences to create meaning of the world around me, why I choose to focus on this instead of that.. “
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