F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Lore & Background

Fitzgerald was born into a middle-class Catholic family in Saint Paul, Minnesota, but raised primarily in New York state. He attended Princeton University, where he befriended future literary critic Edmund Wilson. He had a failed romantic relationship with Chicago socialite Ginevra King and dropped out of Princeton in 1917 to join the Army during World War I. While stationed in Alabama, he met Zelda Sayre, a Southern debutante who initially rejected his marriage proposal due to his lack of financial prospects, but agreed after he published the commercially successful This Side of Paradise (1920). The novel became a cultural sensation and cemented his reputation as one of the eminent writers of the decade. His second novel The Beautiful and Damned (1922) propelled him further into the cultural elite. To maintain his affluent lifestyle, he wrote numerous stories for popular magazines such as The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's Weekly, and Esquire. He frequented Europe during this period, where he befriended modernist writers and artists of the 'Lost Generation' expatriate community, including Ernest Hemingway. His third novel The Great Gatsby (1925) received generally favorable reviews but was a commercial failure, selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year. Despite its lackluster debut, The Great Gatsby is hailed by some literary critics as the 'Great American Novel'. Fitzgerald finished his last completed novel Tender Is the Night (1934) following the deterioration of his wife's mental health and her placement in a mental institution for schizophrenia. Fitzgerald struggled financially because of the declining popularity of his works during the Great Depression. He then moved to Hollywood where he embarked on an unsuccessful career as a screenwriter. While living in Hollywood, he cohabited with columnist Sheilah Graham, his final companion before his death. He had long struggled with alcoholism, and he attained sobriety only to die of a heart attack in 1940 at age 44. His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published the unfinished The Last Tycoon (1941). Wilson described Fitzgerald's style: 'romantic, but also cynical; he is bitter as well as ecstatic; astringent as well as lyrical. He casts himself in the role of playboy, yet at the playboy he incessantly mocks. He is vain, a little malicious, of quick intelligence and wit, and has the Irish gift for turning language into something iridescent and surprising.'

Reader's Guide

F. Scott Fitzgerald's significance lies in his vivid portrayal of the Jazz Age, a term he popularized in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age, and his exploration of wealth, ambition, and disillusionment in early 20th-century America. Though he achieved transient success and fortune in the 1920s, critical acclaim largely eluded him until after his death. His novel The Great Gatsby (1925), a commercial failure selling fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year, is now hailed by some literary critics as the 'Great American Novel.' His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published the unfinished The Last Tycoon (1941) after Fitzgerald's death. Wilson described Fitzgerald's style as 'romantic, but also cynical; he is bitter as well as ecstatic; astringent as well as lyrical.' Fitzgerald's works, including four novels, four story collections, and 164 short stories, continue to be studied for their lyrical prose and incisive social commentary. His legacy endures as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, with his life and work emblematic of the tensions between artistic ambition and personal excess.

Did You Know?

• Fitzgerald popularized the term 'Jazz Age' in his short story collection Tales of the Jazz Age.
• His novel The Great Gatsby sold fewer than 23,000 copies in its first year.
• He dropped out of Princeton in 1917 to join the Army during World War I.
• His friend Edmund Wilson edited and published the unfinished The Last Tycoon after Fitzgerald's death.
• Fitzgerald's father was fired by Procter & Gamble in March 1908, leading the family to return to Saint Paul.