Abstract The paper begins with a short history of F. ScottFitzgerald. The paper explains that Fitzgerald used himself, his wife and others in his close circle on whom to fashion his characters. Fitzgerald sometimes based characters on the country, the United States, as a symbol of moral decay in society. The paper has reviews of each of the following books: "This Side of Paradise", "The Great Gatsby" and "Tender is the Night".
From the Paper "Of all American writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald is considered by many critics and scholars to be unparalleled in the elegance and grace of his fiction. He wrote with a lyrical economy that elevates his work from pure storytelling to poetic beauty.
"This Side of Paradise"
Fitzgerald's first novel was groundbreaking in its candid portrayal of the behavior and thoughts of young people. One contemporary reviewer noted, "No one else has given us so real and intimate a study of college life, of the relationship at that age between boys and girls ... of the things young men in college think about and do." It tells the story of Amory Blaine's passage through adolescence and youth toward maturity. It explores his relationships with women with frankness that shocked the post-Victorian parental generation. His love interest, the beautiful Rosalind, tells him, "There used to be two kinds of kisses. First when girls were kissed and deserted; second when they were engaged. Now there's a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted." This was a new facet in the sexual tension of the times, an early indication of the sexual revolution that was to come."
Tags: f, scott, fitzgerald, great, gatsby, this, side, of, paradise, tender, is, the, night, Zelda, Sayre, jazz, age
Abstract This paper discusses F. ScottFitzgerald as the chronicler of the Jazz Age, the 1920s, noting that this was a decade of change in American life with the public indulging itself in a number of ways after the hardships of World War I and before the even greater hardships they did not yet foresee in the Great Depression.
From the Paper "The Twenties was a decade of exuberance, with a rising stock market that no one yet knew presaged a great and sudden fall. Of all the literary figures of the period, the one most associated with this decade was F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who chronicled the changes taking place with a critical eye, seeing both the strengths of the society of the time and its weaknesses and detailing both in his fiction. "
This paper reviews the life and work of F. ScottFitzgerald, focusing especially on the plots and characters in his novel "The Great Gatsby" and his short story "Winter Dreams".
Abstract This paper relates that F. ScottFitzgerald (Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald) was an Irish-American Jazz Age novelist and short story writer, who is regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century. The author points out that Fitzgerald's protagonists are often reflections of the author and his wife Zelda -- heroes who are handsome, confident and predestined that blaze brilliantly before exploding and heroines who are beautiful, tempting and manipulative. The paper compares the couples from the two writings, Jay and Daisy of "The Great Gatsby" and Dexter and Judy of "Winter Dreams", who want greatness but end in misery.
From the Paper "Both of these women were described as insensitive, unfaithful women, because both being involved in unsatisfactory marriages, they were having an affair with the male character, Jay Gatsby, respectively Dexter Green. Also Daisy was especially cruel when it came to significant issues. She ran over a woman and killed her, yet afterwards she simply went home and ate dinner, as nothing happened. She cared more about the heat than the person she murdered. Judy was heartless too when it came to the men who adored her."
Abstract This paper looks at the emergence of F. ScottFitzgerald as a leader in the modernist movement of literature. It looks at the defining characteristics of modernism and how the uniqueness and newness of Fitzgerald's style of writing put him in the forefront of modernist writers. Fitzgerald's famous works of art and the characters within them are used to aptly illustrate Fitzgerald as one who spearheaded the modernist movement.
From the Paper "Modernist literature is also the result of the writer seeking to save mankind from the "deadening features" of what became known as everyday life. The Modern artist, according to Paul Lauter, editor of The Heath Anthology of American Literature, felt a need to "challenge and reinvigorate" the ever-growing urban, industrial society. (935) In order for this reinvigoration to be successful, new styles of writing were needed to express the new ideas and values. From this need, Modernism arose and became what one critic called a "tradition of the new" (935). However, more than anything, modernism meant breaking away from traditional responses and "predictable forms"."
Abstract This paper examines how F. ScottFitzgerald experienced many different hardships, romances, and personal achievements. Most characters in the "The Great Gatsby" had some link to his past, which makes each character more dynamic. It explains how F. ScottFitzgerald called upon all his personal knowledge and past experiences to write "The Great Gatsby".
From the Paper "In The Great Gatsby F. Scott Fitzgerald used many of his own life experiences including his own yearnings and lost hopes (A&E Biography). Throughout Fitzgerald's life he met people in Great Neck, Long Island that would later become the characters in his elaborate novel that combine both truths and false pretenses that he lived. Mellow said that every scrap of experience, his own or borrowed from others; every insight, earned or overheard, was considered usable knowledge for his fictional pursuits (220). For instance, Mellow stated that nearly all of Gatsby's shady connections with bootlegging, sport scandals, and stock swindles were related to unnamed but clearly identifiable Great Neck residents(220). In the character Jay Gatsby similarities can be seen between Gatsby and Fitzgerald."
Abstract This is a review of "The Great Gatsby", by F. ScottFitzgerald, which analyzes and comments on one man's personal vision of the 1920's American Dream and the dynamic yet decadent society that fueled his aspirations of wealth and happiness. The author of this paper provides comprehensive descriptions of all the characters, and reveals Gatsby's undying devotion to the pursuit of Daisy Fay Buchanan's love. The author also explains how Fitzgerald produced in his novel, set in the 1920s, a tale for any generation with the message that no one should be deterred from searching for their own piece of heaven on earth.
From the Paper "The Great Gatsby, through the honest, heart-felt narration of Nick Carraway, celebrates and criticizes the Jazz Age society, stressing its failure to reach its full potential as well as its inability to separate corruption from financial success and happiness. The corruption of this 1920's society caused the inevitable downfall and demise of Jay Gatsby, Fitzgerald's version of the heroic American character.
"From the outset of the novel, Nick Carraway is established as the mostly impartial but not passive narrator. His loyalties shift during the novel, and he becomes more critical of the individuals he previously thought to be friends and acquaintances. Nick is the straight-edged man in the Eggs, a suburb inhabited by an assortment of millionaires, eccentrics, and upstart societal darlings of the theatrical and musical worlds. Nick comes from a wealthy Mid-West family, but is indeed one of the normal, upstanding people in the novel, not a false face trying to fit into a self-chosen social coterie. Although he lives next to Gatsby's mansion, Nick is detached from the "garish, drunken-Broadway atmosphere" of the Eggs (Sutton 38). He is the most appropriate of all the characters to be the narrator because, as he explains, "...I am one of the few honest people that I have ever known"(Gatsby 64). It has been said, "Nick, who is, like us, within and without, simultaneously repelled and enchanted by the inexhaustible variety of life, is the hero we can and must become"(Gross 168)."
Abstract In this article, the writer discusses that F. ScottFitzgerald's novel 'The Great Gatsby' symbolically and starkly illustrates the potential dangers of a ruthless pursuit of success and its tangible if ultimately negligible reward. The writer notes that the main character, Jay Gatsby, reaches the pinnacle of American success, however Gatsby's conception of success is itself purely symbolic. The writer concludes that near the end, Fitzgerald portrays how the once honorable American Dream of personal prosperity as a reward for steady, honest hard work by a person of ability has been replaced by the mere pursuit of money and the wherewithal money itself allows to make purchases symbolic of wealth.
From the Paper "Here Nick's unclear view of Gatsby, perhaps trembling alone in the darkness, also seems to symbolically and early on underscore the actual tentativeness of Gatsby's own grip on his contrived persona and later on in the story, and as an indirect result, life itself. Moreover, even at the outset of the novel, there is something out there that Gatsby seems at once to perhaps embrace with open arms and perhaps dread with trembling ones. This turns out, looking back to be Daisy.
"Daisy is symbolized at this early point in the book by the green light at the end of her pier. Green is also symbolic of money (old money in this case), something Daisy possesses and that Gatsby does not. "
Abstract This paper examines famous American author F. ScottFitzgerald. It discusses his marriage, his role in the early 20th century, and his works, including "The Great Gatsby", "The Beautiful and the Damned" and "This Side of Paradise". The author focuses on the typical female characters of his novels and the ways in which they represent and relate to his wife, Zelda.
From the Paper "F. Scott Fitzgerald was a brilliant, successful, but somehow unhappy writer. He wrote beautifully, but it taxed him, and between alcoholism, his much loved, though somewhat impractical wife, and his struggle with the materialistic upper class he was a part of, he was a man caught in troubles and often unhappy. Despite his many problems, he managed to turn out several novels and over one-hundred-sixty short stories, and though they shared many common themes, each possessed its own individual tone. Of these themes, one of the most interesting is the role of Fitzgerald's women--women as individuals, women and alcohol, women and material wealth, women and failure. Fitzgerald's main female characters were a new type of woman in the literary arena. They weren?t made in the image of the traditional woman, but were a combination of such positive traits as attractiveness, charm, youth, capability and independence. Fitzgerald created this woman-girl character in response to his own personal experiences and particularly modeled it after his wife Zelda, whom he adored. He projected much of their relationship and her personality into creating a character who prefigured today's modern woman."
Abstract This ten-page undergraduate paper is a biography of the famous American writer of the Jazz Age, F. ScottFitzgerald. His life is discussed in detail, and the paper concludes with a survey of the critical response to his work and an analysis of how his writing contributed to society.
Abstract This paper looks at the life and early works of F. ScottFitzgerald. It begins by describing his childhood and upbringing. It looks at his personal life, marriage, and parenthood. It discusses some of his early works and the attitudes of critics toward him in his early days.
From the Paper "Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. His given names indicate his parent's pride in his father's distant cousin who authored the National Anthem (Brief pg). Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy where his first writing appeared in the school newspaper when he was thirteen years old. At Princeton in 1917, he focused his attention on his literary apprenticeship, writing scripts and lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club musicals and contributing to the Princeton Tiger humor magazine and the Nassau Literary Magazine (Brief pg). Having neglected his studies and unlikely to graduate, Fitzgerald joined the army that year and convinced that he was going to die in the war, he quickly wrote his first novel, "The Romantic Egotist" and submitted it to Charles Scribner's Sons for publication (Brief pg). While stationed at Camp Sheridan, outside Montgomery, Alabama, in 1918, he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre, the eighteen year old daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge (Brief pg). He was discharged in 1919 and moved to New York to pursue his career (Brief pg)."
Abstract This paper starts with a background of the Jazz Age which F. ScottFitzgerald was a part of, and looks at how Fitzgerald's personal experience was reflected in his work. It maintains that Fitzgerald's ability to adhere to two different perspectives was one of his distinguishing marks as a writer, as well as his ability to create three-dimensional characters and write about the American experience that has withstood the test of time.
From the Paper "F. Scott Fitzgerald was a part of this time. In his twenties himself, he lived the way the rest of his generation lived, and he "not only represented the age, but came to suspect that he had helped to create it" (Bloom 57). He was constantly aware of being involved in a part of history. He made countless lists of current slang expressions, songs, football players, and hobbies. Forever seeking to keep up with the times, he knew he was part of a changing world that was slowly losing its innocence. "Fitzgerald never lost a quality that very few writers are able to acquire: a sense of living in history. Manners and morals were changing all through his life and he set himself the task of recording the changes" (Bloom 57). He wrote about the Jazz Age in away that no one else could, integrating into his work his own personal experience, and a rare double-vision that allowed the reader to not only participate, but to stand apart from it all, absorbing with a critical eye. Because of this gift his novels are timeless."
Abstract The writer of this paper clearly details the significance of the colors used in F. ScottFitzgerald's American classic "The Great Gatsby." The writer contends that Fitzgerald is a master of the motif and his recurring themes and symbols, which include the use of light and automobiles, in addition to colors, are a large part of what make this particular novel so captivating. Each color in the novel symbolizes a different theme. The colors do not only have meaning individually, but the relationship between all of the colors and the things they represent are intricate and visually stunning. This paper examines the author's use of colors throughout this novel, which include blue, gray, lavender, yellow, white and green. The blue motif represents dreams, imagination, and in some ways, the supernatural. For example, Eckleburg's blue eyes, which appear in the novel many times can be interpreted as representing the omnipresence of God himself. The writer also delves into the author's focus on the use automobiles and light, in addition to the colors. Fitzgerald centers on the use of light in his novel also as a motif. The green light, in specific, holds great importance in the story, which is clearly explained in this paper.
From the Paper "The Valley of Ashes is an example of gray being the color that represents being stuck without hope of reaching any dreams, and having abandoned them. The people near there work hard, drive in gray cars (a connection to another Ftizgerald motif of automobiles), and they do not strive for anything more exciting. While the eyes of the all-knowing Eckleburg are blue, Jordan, who is superficial and has no dreams, has gray eyes. Lavender is another important color. Closely related to blue, this color represents indulgence, such as Gatsby's lavender-decorated rooms and his lavender shirts. The beads on a dress are also referred to as lavender; the beads are embellishments, unneeded things that are nonetheless desired, and obtained often by the wealthy. White is used in The Great Gatsby in the traditional literary use of the color. Like white wedding dresses, white here represents innocence."
Tags: literature, color, symbolism, theme, automobile, light, american
A discussion of the similarities and differences between Ulysses Everett McGill, the main character of the Coen Brothers' film "O Brother Where Art Thou?" and Charlie Wales, the main character of F. ScottFitzgerald's short story "Babylon Revisited".
Abstract This essay compares and contrasts the main characters of the film 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' written and directed by the Coen brothers and the short story 'Babylon Revisited' by F. ScottFitzgerald, also made into a film. What seems at first an unlikely comparison turns out to be revealing. Ulysses Everett McGill and Charlie Wales are from vastly different backgrounds and social strata yet face similar dilemmas. Wales the wealthy socialite would seem more likely to succeed in his case to retrieve his daughter and get his life together. However, it is the escaped convict McGill, whose Ulysses-like Odyssey is discussed in depth, who succeeds in his quest, while the "recovering" alcoholic Wales is frustrated and delayed.
From the Paper "Ulysses Everett McGill, the central character in the film, O Brother Where Art Thou? produced in 2000, and Charlie Wales, the main character in the F. Scott Fizgerald story, ?Babylon Revisited,? published in 1931, and made into a movie in 1954, may at first glance appear to be vastly different, but turn out to share similarities. Ulysses Everett McGill and Charlie Wales are from vastly different classes and backgrounds, yet both live in approximately the same time period, the 1920s/30s, the time of the Great Depression and both are men deprived of wife and family. Neither one is exactly the ordinary man surviving under the duress of the depression. McGill is a crude and lowly escaped convict fleeing through the Bible belt, while the sophisticated Wales, who still seems to have plenty of money and social status despite the crash, is visiting Paris. Both want to get their lives back into some semblance of togetherness. Each seems to be continually sabotaged in his quest. As we watch both men we wonder if the destructive energy comes from outside or is inner generated. The resemblances are many, but the differences are greater, especially when it comes to the end results of their attempts to get it together."
This paper looks at how F.ScottFitzgerald employs alcohol, and the abuse of alcohol, to symbolise priorities and problems in 1920's upper class America in his book, "The Great Gatsby."
Abstract This paper examines essay highlights the importance of alcohol in upper class 1920's America illustrated in F. ScottFitzgerald's novel, "The Great Gatsby." With reference to values surrounding wealth, etiquette and class, the essay illustrates how Fitzgerald uses alcohol to represent the contradictory feelings in upper class America; although there is a dinstinctive feeling of energy and euphoria in the era, this is underlined by crisis and unease.
From the Paper "Alcohol also seems to contribute to the distinctive energy of America. It has a direct effect on mood, leading to heightened euphoria and sociability. Such high spirits ensure the success of Gatsby's parties, where "cocktails permeate the garden outside until the air is alive with chatter and laughter" (p.42). Intoxicated, his guests are happy and carefree. Indeed, alcohol is credited for the confidence of a girl who dances alone at one party; she "seizes a cocktail"and dumps it down for courage? (p.43). The positive effects of alcohol are also apparent at other points in the novel. A visitor to West Egg becomes more pleasant through drinking: "the woman said nothing"until unexpectedly, after two highballs, she became cordial? (p.99). Alcohol also helps overturn some of the social restrictions of polite society."
This paper discusses one of F. ScottFitzgerald's last novels, "Tender is the Night", and focuses not on a socioeconomic trope, but rather a psychological one.
Abstract This paper explains that, unlike earlier novels, Fitzgerald's "Tender is the Night" pays more attention to internalized issues instead of focusing solely on the wealth of the characters as the means by which they express themselves. The author points out that, in this manner, Fitzgerald brings the reader closer to the characters he creates, characters who operate with less flash and dazzle and more strain and spontaneity. The paper relates that the main conflict of the novel lies in Dick Diver's complete collapse as his life changes from that of an affluent and respected doctor to a humiliated, alcoholic outcast.
From the Paper "At this point, as it seems to be moving towards an inevitable climax in which the couple comes to a resolution, the novel surprises the reader by going back in time several years and exploring Dick's career as a doctor, the Great War, and the early relationship between Dick and Nicole. We see that Dick is no stranger to Europe, as he was stationed
there when in the US Army. More of an intellectual than a soldier, Dick spends the war as a doctor in France and Germany. The reader is introduced to the character of Franz Gregorovius, Dick's business partner and friend, who, though the two have much in common initially, acts as a rational foil to Dick during his later unraveling. Dick meets
Nicole when she is a patient at their clinic, and writes to her while in France."
