Name
F. Scott Fitzgerald
By Jamie Kee
Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, an
American novel and short story writer, was
born on September 24, 1896, and died
December 21, 1940. He was named after
Francis Scott Key, his famous relative and
writer of the National Anthem, but he went
by the name Scott. Fitzgerald was born in
Minnesota but attended Nardin Academy in
Buffalo, New York. After his father was
fired from his job with Procter & Gamble,
the family returned to Minnesota, living
comfortably off his mother's inheritance.
Fitzgerald then attended St. Paul Academy.
While still attending school, Fitzgerald published his first writing,
a detective story, at age thirteen, in the school newspaper. He later
attended Newman School in New Jersey and then attended Princeton
University. He wrote for the Princeton Tiger magazine and the
Nassau Literary Magazine and was a member of the University
Cottage Club. Fitzgerald focused on his writing but neglected his
studies and was put on academic probation. Unlikely to graduate and
short of money, he left Princeton and enlisted in the United States
Army during the end of World War I. Fitzgerald was sure he would
die in the war, so he quickly wrote The Romantic Egotist, a novel
that was praised for its originality yet still rejected because it was in
need of major revisions.
It was during his time in the army at Camp Sheridan when
Fitzgerald met his future wife, Zelda Sayre, the daughter of an
Alabama Supreme Court judge. They became engaged in 1919.
Fitzgerald attempted to prove to Zelda that he was able to support
her by moving to New York, working at an advertising firm, and
writing short stories. He resubmitted The Romantic Egotist, but it
was rejected again. Zelda was unconvinced and broke off their
engagement.
After Zelda broke off their engagement, Fitzgerald moved to his
parents' home in St. Paul, Minnesota, and attempted to rewrite The
Romantic Egotist, now as This Side of Paradise. The novel, which
was published in 1920, was about the post-WWI flapper generation.
It was enormously popular, and with that success, the engagement
between Scott and Zelda was back on. Scott and Zelda were quickly
married and had their daughter the following year on October 26,
1921. It was also that same year when Fitzgerald published his
second novel, The Beautiful and Damned.
It was during the 1920s that F. Scott Fitzgerald's success
blossomed. In 1925 he published The Great Gatsby which brought
him praise despite some disappointing sales. Fitzgerald traveled
through Europe and made friends with numerous writers, most
especially Ernest Hemingway. Their relationship was based upon
mutual respect, but Hemingway also viewed him as a competitor;
therefore, it was a friendship filled with turmoil.
Fitzgerald preferred writing his novels the most, but his first
novel was the only one that sold well enough to support the New
York lifestyle he and Zelda enjoyed. Therefore, he wrote short
stories as an added source of income. Fitzgerald wrote stories for
The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. He also
sold the movie rights for his stories and novels to Hollywood studios.
Unfortunately, due to Zelda's medical expenses and the lifestyle they
chose, Fitzgerald often experienced financial troubles and would rely
on loans from his literary agent and editor. Eventually, however, the
advances were discontinued.
As his career continued, Fitzgerald attempted to work on his
fourth novel, but his financial troubles and the onset of Zelda's
schizophrenia forced him to continue with short stories. After Zelda
was hospitalized in Maryland in 1932, Scott rented an estate in order
to continue working on his novel, Tender Is the Night. The novel
went through many changes, and after its publication in 1934, some
critics claimed it was slightly autobiographical, telling of Fitzgerald's
life and all its problems. Although it initially did not sell well, the
novel became more respected over the years.
Because of continued financial problems, Fitzgerald went back to
commercial short stories for Hollywood in the 1930s despite
disliking this type of work. He was able to complete his final novel,
The Last Tycoon (originally called The Love of the Last Tycoon), but
it was not published until after his death. At this point in his life,
Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, became alienated from each other.
She continued living in mental institutions on one side of the country,
while Scott lived in Hollywood with his lover, Sheilah Graham, on
Name
the other side of the country. Up until his death in 1940, Fitzgerald
ridiculed himself in a series of short stories with the character Pat
Hobby, later published in a collection called "The Pat Hobby
Stories."
F. Scott Fitzgerald's health was tremendously affected by his
alcoholism which started in college. His success during the 1920s as
well as his financial difficulties only aggravated his drinking
problems. By the 1930s, his health was severely affected. Fitzgerald
claimed to have tuberculosis, and despite it being ignored as a cover
up to his alcoholism, he did in fact have tuberculosis and suffered
from a tubercular hemorrhage. Fitzgerald also had two heart attacks,
the second the day before he died.
During his lifetime, F. Scott Fitzgerald completed five novels and
dozens of short stories. He was the writer of the Jazz Age, a term he
created himself. Despite considering himself a failure at the end of
his life, Fitzgerald inspired many writers such as T.S. Eliot and
Henry James. Millions of copies of his novel, The Great Gatsby,
have been sold, and many high school and college classes list it as
required reading. F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered by many to be
one of the best writers of the 20th century, and his reputation
continues to grow even in the 21st century.
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Questions
1. Who was F. Scott Fitzgerald named after?
A. a famous writer
B. his grandfather
C. his father
D. a famous relative
2. Which of Fitzgerald's novels was written posthumously?
A. The Great Gatsby
B. The Last Tycoon
C. Tender Is the Night
D. The Beautiful and Damned
3. Which did Fitzgerald prefer writing the most?
A. novels
B. poetry
C. short stories
D. plays
4. At what age did Fitzgerald publish his first writing?
A. twenty-six
B. thirteen
C. eighteen
D. twenty-three
5. Which decade proved to be Fitzgerald's most successful?
A. 1930s
B. 1900s
C. 1910s
D. 1920s
6. Why did Zelda break off her engagement to Scott?
A. Her parents forced her to.
B. She fell in love with someone else.
C. She didn't think he could support her.
D. She wanted to get her education.
7. What 1920s term did Fitzgerald coin?
A. the Flapper Era
B. the Jazz Age
C. the Fitzgerald Era
D. the Gatsby Era
Despite Fitzgerald's literary success, he still felt like a failure. Write
an essay discussing the factors that contributed to his sense of failure.
Name
8. For most of Fitzgerald's career, what did he often fall back
upon to support his family?
Research F. Scott Fitzgerald's time in Europe when he met writer
Ernest Hemingway. Write a paper on the relationship that developed
between the two writers.