F. Scott Fitzgerald Summary

F. Scott Fitzgerald

• Essayist, novelist, short story writer.
• Chronicler of middle and upper class American society.
• Born in Saint Paul to a middle class family.
• Father's business failed, introducing him to the working class.
• Tensions between classes influenced his work. The family lived comfortably on mother's inheritance after relocating back to Saint Paul from New York after his father's business failed.
• Attended Princeton, which influenced his portrayal of Ivy League life in his work.
• In 1918, served in Nebraska during World War I.
• Met Zelda Sayre, who would become his wife.

Relationship with Zelda

• Zelda initially left him because she didn't want to live in poverty.
• In 1920, he published This Side of Paradise, which became an overnight bestseller, leading Zelda to return.
• Marriage with Zelda was tumultuous due to her mental health issues and his alcoholism.
• Fitzgerald died at age 44 from a heart attack.
• Zelda later struggled with mental illness and died tragically.

The Great Gatsby

• Written in 1925 in France.
• Setting: 1920s America, post-World War I
• Reflected the Jazz Age and an economic boom.

Themes of The Great Gatsby

• Social class tension: rich versus poor.
• The American Dream and its disillusionment.
• Excess, glamour, and moral decay of the 1920s.
• Prohibition.
• Gender roles.
• Materialism.