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F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby

F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby. Early Biography. Sept 24,1896: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald born in St. Paul, MN Attends an expensive boarding school in New Jersey. Said he felt like, “one of the poorest boys in a rich boys’ school.”

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F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby

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  1. F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby

  2. Early Biography • Sept 24,1896: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald born in St. Paul, MN • Attends an expensive boarding school in New Jersey. • Said he felt like, “one of the poorest boys in a rich boys’ school.” • His grades not good enough for Princeton, but he persuades the school into accepting him.

  3. Fitzgerald in the Army • While on academic probation, Fitzgerald joins the army as a 2nd lieutenant in 1917. • WWI was raging • Fitzgerald was not a good officer and never made it to the front • June 1918: Fitzgerald stationed in Montgomery, AL • He meets Zelda Sayre, daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge.

  4. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald • After a whirlwind courtship, Scott and Zelda fall in love. • But she breaks off their engagement because she is unwilling to live on Scott’s small salary.

  5. Literary Career Beginnings • June 1919: After Zelda rejects him, Fitzgerald returns to St. Paul, MN to rewrite his novel, This Side of Paradise. • In the fall of that year, he begins writing magazine stories. • He writes many stories for the Saturday Evening Post describing the free-thinking flappers of the 1920’s.

  6. Overnight Fame • March 26, 1920: This Side of Paradise is published, making the 24 year-old Fitzgerald famous almost overnight. • One week later, he marries Zelda Sayre in New York.

  7. Extravagant Living • Scott & Zelda begin to live as young celebrities, socializing and drinking heavily. • They take their first trip to Europe in 1921. • October 1921: Their first and only child, Frances Scott (Scottie) Fitzgerald is born.

  8. Early Stumblings • Fall, 1922: The young family moves to Great Neck, NY, expecting to earn a lot of money from Scott’s play, The Vegetable. • 1923: The play bombs, and Scott has to write short stories to get out of debt. • Scott’s drinking increases. He and Zelda fight often.

  9. Gatsby is Born • Spring 1924: The Fitzgeralds go to France. • Summer 1924: Scott starts writing The GreatGatsby. • Zelda has a relationship with a French pilot. • Winter 1924-25: The Fitzgeralds go to Rome where Scott revises Gatsby. • April 1925. Gatsby is published. Critical reviews are positive, but sales remain low.

  10. Further Estrangement • During the 1920’s, Scott and Zelda’s relationship continues to be strained due to his drinking and her mental instability. • Zelda begins writing, too, and also studies ballet. • They live in Paris, the Riviera, and a mansion near Wilmington, DE. • Even though Fitzgerald earns about $4,000 per story (equal to about $40,000 today), he and Zelda continue to run into debt.

  11. 1930’s • The Fitzgeralds rent a house in Montgomery, AL in 1931. Scott makes an unsuccessful trip to Hollywood • Zelda suffers a mental breakdown in 1932 and is hospitalized. • 1936-37: Scott drinks, gets into more debt, and lives in hotels near Asheville, NC. Zelda enters a nearby hospital.

  12. The Last Years • Summer 1937: Fitzgerald goes to Hollywood with a screenwriting contract earning $1,000/ week. • Despite earning $91,000 from MGM, he is unable to save any money. • 1938: He falls in love with Sheilah Graham, a movie columnist. • Dec 21, 1940: Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack in Graham’s apartment. • 1948: Zelda dies in a fire at Highland Hospital.

  13. Fitzgerald’s Legacy • Although Fitzgerald’s drinking gave him a reputation as an irresponsible writer, he was a painstaking reviser. • While he endured a lot of criticism just after his death, his reputation grew in the 1960’s. • Today, he is considered one of the great American novelists, and The Great Gatsby is considered his masterpiece.

  14. Enduring Associations • Fitzgerald has become identified with the extravagant living of the Jazz Age: “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald • He felt that aspiration and idealism defined America and its people. • His writing style is known for being clear, lyrical, and witty.

  15. Sources: • www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html • www.orionmcs1.freeservers.com/Fitzgerald-1.html • www.rarebookonline.com/Fax_Jackets/thissideofparadise.jpg • www.born-today.com/Today/09-24.htm • www.zeldathemusical.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp • www.planetbunky.com/illustrations/zelda.html • www.ellisparkerbutler.info/epb/pic/v07/saturday_evening_post_1918_11_16_a.jpg • www.riverwalk.org/proglist/showpromo/1927_heart.htm

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