| Revision as of 12:13, 29 October 2007 editRedCoat10 (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Rollbackers8,221 editsm Reverted 3 edits by 79.211.78.54 identified as vandalism to last revision by Hobbesy3. using TW← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:32, 30 October 2007 edit undo206.130.199.46 (talk) ←Blanked the pageNext edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| {{otherpersons|Scott Fitzgerald|Scott Fitzgerald (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Infobox Writer | |||
| | name = Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald | |||
| | image = Francis Scott Fitzgerald 1937 June 4 (1) (photo by Carl van Vechten).jpg | |||
| | imagesize = 200px | |||
| | caption = <small>F. Scott Fitzgerald, photographed by ] in 1937</small> | |||
| | pseudonym = | |||
| | birth_date = {{Birth date|1896|9|24}} | |||
| | birth_place = ], ], ] | |||
| | death_date = {{Death date and age|1940|12|21|1896|9|24}} | |||
| | death_place = ], ], ] | |||
| | occupation = Novelist, screenwriter | |||
| | nationality = American | |||
| | period = 1920-1940 | |||
| | genre = Literary fiction | |||
| | subject = | |||
| | movement = ] | |||
| | debut_works = '']'' (1920) | |||
| | influences = ], ], ], | |||
| | influenced = ], ], ], ], ] | |||
| | signature = | |||
| | website = | |||
| | footnotes = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald''' (], ] – ],]) was an American ] author of ] and ]. He is regarded as one of the greatest twentieth century writers. Fitzgerald was of the self-styled "]," Americans born in the 1890s who came of age during ]. He finished four novels, left a fifth unfinished, and wrote dozens of short stories that treat themes of youth, despair, and age. | |||
| == Early Years == | |||
| Born on Cathedral Hill in ], to an upper-middle class ] household, Fitzgerald was named after his famous relative ], but was referred to as 'Scott'. He spent 1898–1901 and 1903–1908 in ], ], where he attended ].<ref> - Buffalo Architecture and History (c/o bfn.org)</ref> When his father was fired from ], the family moved back to Minnesota, where Fitzgerald attended ] in St. Paul from 1908–1911. His first piece of literature was published in his school newspaper when he was 13. He attended Newman School, a prep school in ], in 1911–1912, and then entered ] in 1913 as a member of the Class of 1917. There he became friends with future critics and writers ] (Class of 1916) and ] (Class of 1917), and wrote for the ]. | |||
| A mediocre student throughout his three-years at Princeton, Fitzgerald dropped out in 1917 to enlist in the United States Army when the US entered ]. Fitzgerald wrote a novel titled ''The Romantic Egotist'', portions of which later largely were reincarnated as the first half of ''This Side of Paradise'', while at Princeton, and edited the work at ] and ]. When he submitted the novel to ], the editor praised the writing but ultimately rejected the book. The war ended shortly after Fitzgerald's enlistment. | |||
| == Marriage to Zelda Sayre == | |||
| While at Camp Sheridan, Fitzgerald met ] (1900–1948), the "top girl," in Fitzgerald's words, of ], ] youth society. She was the daughter of an ] Judge. The two were engaged in 1919, and Fitzgerald moved into an apartment at 1395 Lexington Avenue in ] to try to lay a foundation for his life with Zelda. Working at an advertising firm and writing short stories, he was unable to convince Zelda that he would be able to support her, leading her to break off the engagement. | |||
| Fitzgerald returned to his parents' house at ], on Cathedral Hill, in St. Paul to revise ''The Romantic Egotist''. Recast as '']'', about the ] generation of the ], it was accepted by ] in the fall of 1919, and Zelda and Scott resumed their engagement. The novel was published on ], ], and became one of the most popular books of the year. Scott and Zelda were married in New York's ]. Their daughter and only child, ], was born on ], ]. | |||
| == "The Jazz Age" == | |||
| The 1920s proved the most influential decade of Fitzgerald's development. His second novel, '']'', published in 1922, demonstrates an evolution beyond the comparatively immature '']''. '']'', Scott's masterpiece, was published in 1925. Fitzgerald made several excursions to Europe, notably ] and the ], and became friends with many members of the American expatriate community in Paris, notably ]. | |||
| Hemingway looked up to Fitzgerald as an experienced professional writer. Hemingway greatly admired '']'' and wrote in his '']'' "If he could write a book as fine as '']'' I was sure that he could write an even better one" (153). Hemingway expressed his deep admiration for Fitzgerald, and Fitzgerald's flawed, doomed character, when he prefaced his chapters concerning Fitzgerald in '']'' with: | |||
| :His talent was as natural as the pattern that was made by the dust on a butterfly's wings. At one time he understood it no more than the butterfly did and he did not know when it was brushed or marred. Later he became conscious of his damaged wings and their construction and he learned to think and could not fly any more because the love of flight was gone and he could only remember when it had been effortless. (129) | |||
| Much of what Hemingway wrote in '']'' helped to create the myth of Fitzgerald's eventual demise and Zelda's hand in that demise. Though much of Hemingway's text is factually correct, it is always tinged with his disappointment with Fitzgerald. That disappointment was most evident when in '']'' he specifically mentions Fitzgerald as a ruined writer. | |||
| Fitzgerald’s friendship with Hemingway was a tumultuous one, as it seems most of Fitzgerald’s relationships were. Hemingway did not get along well with Zelda, either. He claimed that she “encouraged her husband to drink so as to distract Scott from his ‘real’ work on his novel,"<sup>1</sup> the other work being his short stories he sold to magazines. The “whoring” as Fitzgerald, and subsequently Hemingway, called these sales, was a sore point in the authors’ friendship. Fitzgerald claimed that he would first write his stories in an authentic manner but then put in “twists that made them into saleable magazine stories.”² | |||
| Fitzgerald drew largely upon his wife's intense and flamboyant personality in his writings, at times quoting direct segments of her personal diaries in his work. Zelda made mention of this in a 1922 mock review in the '']'', saying that "t seems to me that on one page I recognized a portion of an old diary of mine which mysteriously disappeared shortly after my marriage, and also scraps of letters which, though considerably edited, sound to me vaguely familiar. In fact, Mr. Fitzgerald—I believe that is how he spells his name—seems to believe that plagiarism begins at home" (''Zelda Fitzgerald: The Collected Writings'', 388). But the impact Zelda's personality might have had on his life may be overstated, as much of his earliest writings reflect the personality of his first love, ]. In fact, the character of Daisy as much represents his inability to cultivate his relationship with King as it does Zelda's personality. | |||
| Although Fitzgerald's passion lay in writing novels, only his first novel sold well enough to support the opulent lifestyle that he and Zelda adopted as New York celebrities. As did most professional authors at the time, Fitzgerald supplemented his income by writing short stories for such magazines as '']'', '']'', and '']'', and sold movie rights of his stories and novels to Hollywood studios. Many of these stories act as testing grounds for his novels. For example, "Absolution" was intended to become an earlier chapter in '']''. Because of his opulent lifestyle as well as the bills from Zelda's medical care, he was constantly in financial trouble and often required loans from his literary agent, ], and his editor at ], ]. When Ober decided not to continue advancing Fitzgerald, the author severed ties with his longtime friend and agent. | |||
| Fitzgerald began working on his fourth novel during the late 1920s but was sidetracked by financial difficulties that necessitated his writing commercial short stories, and by the ] that struck ] in 1930. Her emotional health remained fragile for the rest of her life. In 1932, she was hospitalized in Baltimore, Maryland. Scott rented the "La Paix" estate in the suburb of ] to work on his latest book, the story of the rise and fall of Dick Diver, a promising young psychiatrist who falls in love with and marries Nicole Warren, one of his patients. The book went through many versions, the first of which was to be a story of matricide. Some critics have seen the book as a thinly-veiled autobiographical novel recounting Fitzgerald's problems with his wife, the corrosive effects of wealth and a decadent lifestyle, his own egoism and self-confidence, and his continuing alcoholism. Indeed, Fitzgerald was extremely protective of his material (their life together). When Zelda published her own version of their lives in Europe, '']'', Fitzgerald was angry and succeeded in getting her doctors to keep her from writing any more. His book was finally published in 1934 as '']''. Critics who had waited nine years for the followup to '']'' had mixed opinions about the novel. Most were thrown off by its five part structure and many felt that Fitzgerald had not lived up to their expectations.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} The novel did not sell well upon publication, but the book's reputation has since risen significantly. | |||
| == Hollywood years == | |||
| Although he reportedly found movie work degrading, Fitzgerald was once again in dire financial straits, and spent the second half of the 1930s in ], working on commercial short stories, scripts for ] (including some unfilmed work on '']''), and his fifth and final novel, '']''. Published posthumously as '']'', it was based on the life of film executive ]. Scott and Zelda became estranged; she continued living in mental institutions on the east coast, while he lived with his lover ], a gossip columnist, in ]. From 1939 until his death, Fitzgerald mocked himself as a Hollywood ] through the character of Pat Hobby in a sequence of 17 short stories, later collected as "]" | |||
| == Illness and death == | |||
| Fitzgerald had clearly been an ] since his college days, and he became notorious during the 1920s for his extraordinarily heavy drinking. This left him in poor health by the late 1930s. According to Zelda's biographer, Nancy Milford, Scott claimed that he had contracted ], but she states that this was usually a pretext to cover his drinking problems. However, Fitzgerald scholar ] contends that Fitzgerald did in fact have recurring ], and Nancy Milford reports that Fitzgerald biographer Arthur Mizener said that Scott suffered a mild attack of ] in 1919, and in 1929 he had "what proved to be a tubercular hemorrhage". It may be pure coincidence but two of Fitzgerald's least likeable characters have the initials "TB" (an acronym for ]) - Tom Buchanan in '']'' and Tommy Barban in '']''. Given the extent of Scott's alcoholism, however, it is possible that the hemorrhage was caused by bleeding from ]—enlarged veins in the esophagus that result from advanced liver disease. Fitzgerald's lifelong smoking habit undoubtedly also damaged his health and brought on the heart problems that eventually killed him. | |||
| Fitzgerald suffered two ] in late 1940. After the first, in ], he was ordered by his doctor to avoid strenuous exertion and to obtain a first floor apartment, which he did by moving in with ]. On the night of ], ], he had his second heart attack, and the next day, ], while awaiting a visit from his doctor, Fitzgerald collapsed in Graham's apartment and died. He was 44. | |||
| Among the attendants at a visitation held at a funeral home in Hollywood was ], who reportedly cried and murmured "the poor son of a bitch," a line from ]'s funeral in Fitzgerald's '']''.<ref name=Mizener-1951>Mizener, Arthur. - Excerpt: ''"The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald."'' Boston: ]. 1951. - (pp. 362.; c/o ]) - Monday, January 29, 1951</ref><ref> - ] - Monday, July 11, 1955</ref> In another strange coincidence, the author ], who was a friend and admirer of Fitzgerald, was killed along with his wife on the way to Fitzgerald's services. Fitzgerald's remains were then shipped to Maryland, where his funeral was attended by very few people. The Catholic church would not allow him to be buried in his family's plot in Rockville and he was originally buried in ]. Zelda died tragically in a fire at the ] in ], in 1948. With the permission and assistance of their only child, ], the Women's Club of Rockville had their bodies moved to the family plot in ], in ]. | |||
| Fitzgerald never completed '']''. His notes for the novel were edited by his friend ] and published in 1941 as '']''. However, there is now critical agreement that Fitzgerald intended the title of the book to be '']'', as is reflected in a new 1994 edition of the book, edited by Fitzgerald scholar Matthew Bruccoli of the ]. | |||
| ==Influence and praise== | |||
| Fitzgerald's work and legend has inspired writers ever since he was first published. The publication of ''The Great Gatsby'' prompted ] to write, in a letter to Fitzgerald, "t seems to me to be the first step that American fiction has taken since ]...".<ref> Fitzgerald, F. Scott. "The Crack-Up". A New Directions Book, edited by Edmund Wilson. New York. 1993. - (p. 310)</ref> Don Birnam, the protagonist of ]'s '']'', says to himself, referring to ''Gatsby'', "There's no such thing...as a flawless novel. But if there is, this is it."<ref>Jackson, Charles. '']''. London: Black Spring Press. 1994. p.136.</ref> In letters written in the 1940s, ] expressed admiration of Fitzgerald's work, and his biographer ] wrote that Salinger even saw himself for some time as "Fitzgerald's successor."<ref>{{cite book |last=Hamilton |first=Ian |authorlink=Ian Hamilton (critic) |coauthors= |title=In Search of J. D. Salinger |year=1988 |publisher=Random House |location=New York |id=ISBN 0-394-53468-9}} p. 53, 64.</ref> ], a writer often compared to Fitzgerald, called '']'' "the most nourishing novel read...a miracle of talent...a triumph of technique."<ref>Yates, Richard. The '']''. ] ].</ref> | |||
| == Works == | |||
| === Novels === | |||
| * '']'' (New York: Chas. Scribner & Son: 1920) | |||
| * '']'' (New York: Chas. Scribner & Son: 1922) | |||
| * '']'' (New York: Chas. Scribner & Son: 1925) | |||
| * '']'' (New York: Chas. Scribner & Son: 1934) | |||
| * '']'' – originally ''The Love of the Last Tycoon'' – (New York:Chas. Scribner & Sons, published posthumously: 1941) | |||
| === Other works === | |||
| * '']'' (Humor Magazine, 1917) | |||
| * '']'' (play, 1923) | |||
| * '']'' (essays and stories, 1945) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story, 1922) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * ''] (Short Story Collection, 1926) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story Collection) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story Collection, 1935) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story Collection, 1922) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story) | |||
| * ''] (Short Story) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story Collection, 1920) | |||
| * '']'' (Short Story Collection) | |||
| == Published as == | |||
| * ''Novels & Stories 1920-1922: This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers, The Beautiful and Damned, Tales of the Jazz Age'' (Jackson R. Bryer, ed.) (], 2000) ISBN 978-1-88301184-0. | |||
| The Rich Boy (short story) | |||
| == Biography== | |||
| * The standard biographies of Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald are Arthur Mizener's '']'' (1951, 1965), and ] ''Some Sort of Epic Grandeur'' (1981). Fitzgerald's letters have also been published in various editions such as ''Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald'', ed. Jackson R. Bryer and Cathy W. Banks (2002); ''Correspondence of F. Scott Fitzgerald'', ed. Matthew Bruccoli and Margaret Duggan (1980), and ''F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters'', ed. Matthew Bruccoli (1994). | |||
| * Zelda Fitzgerald published an autobiographically-charged novel, '']'', in 1934. | |||
| * The film '']'' (1959) depicts Fitzgerald (played by ]) during his final years as a Hollywood ]. Another film, '']'' (2002) (] plays Fitzgerald) describes the relationship with ] during his last two years of life. The film was based on the memoir of Frances Kroll Ring, entitled '']'' (1985), that records her experience as secretary to Fitzgerald for the last 20 months of his life. | |||
| ==Sources== | |||
| * Hemingway, Ernest. ''A Moveable Feast.'' London: Arrow Books. 1996. | |||
| * <sup>1</sup>Canterbury, E. Ray., and Thomas Birch. ''F. Scott Fitzgerald: Under the Influence.'' St. Paul: Paragon House. 2006., pp. 189 | |||
| *² IBID: Canterbury, pp. 189 | |||
| * Mizener, Arthur. ''The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald.'' Boston: ]. 1951. | |||
| ===References=== | |||
| {{reflist}} | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| * ], a ], where Fitzgerald rewrote ''This Side of Paradise'' | |||
| == External links == | |||
| {{wikiquote}} | |||
| {{wikisource author|F. Scott Fitzgerald}} | |||
| * - at the University of South Carolina | |||
| * - at Princeton University | |||
| * - at Scott-Fitzgerald.com | |||
| * - at narod.ru ('''Russian''' & English) | |||
| * - National Historic Landmarks Program - ] - St. Paul, Minnesota | |||
| * - Montgomery, Alabama | |||
| * {{gutenberg author| id=F.+Scott+Fitzgerald | name=F. Scott Fitzgerald}} | |||
| * - at ] | |||
| {{Fitzgerald}} | |||
| <!-- Metadata: see ] --> | |||
| {{Persondata | |||
| |NAME= Fitzgerald, Francis Scott Key | |||
| |ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Fitzgerald, F. Scott | |||
| |SHORT DESCRIPTION= American novelist and screenwriter | |||
| |DATE OF BIRTH= {{birth date|1896|9|24|mf=y}} | |||
| |PLACE OF BIRTH= ], ], ] | |||
| |DATE OF DEATH= {{death date|1940|12|21|mf=y}} | |||
| |PLACE OF DEATH= ], ], ] | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, F. Scott}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||