F. Scott Fitzgerald - Fact File
Summer Work - English
Overview
Fitzgerald was born in 1896 in St Paul, Minnesota to his father, a poor failed
businessman, and his mother, who was from an inherently rich family who paid for his
elite Ivy League education at Princeton, New Jersey. In 1915, Fitzgerald fell in love with
Ginevra King, a young woman from a rich background, however her father, a successful
businessman, didn't approve of him because of his poverty. King subsequently called off
the relationship and married one of the richest men in Chicago to please her father.
Because of this rejection, Fitzgerald’s view on social classes changed dramatically - he
began to feel a sense of social inferiority and disgust towards the rich. On one hand, he
resented their wealth and incessant materialistic goods along with the arrogant attitude
the rich seemed to embody, but on the other he was jealous of their glamorous,
exclusive lifestyle. Fitzgerald then served in the army from 1917-1919 to escape his
family’s monetary difficulties.
In 1919, Fitzgerald fell in love with Zelda Sayre, however her family, also from a rich
background, disapproved of the relationship, so she called off their engagement too.
Later, Fitzgerald made his fortune from writing and so ‘re-courted’ Zelda. In their
married life, they became known for hedonistic behaviour, practicing heavy drinking,
alcoholism, a glamorous lifestyle and later, a decline in wealth. They led lavish,
extravagant lifestyles, full of scintillating belongings and opportunities, therefore
contradicting his previous negative views. At the end of their lives, Zelda had various
breakdowns, resulting in her death in a hospital fire, and Fitzgerald also dying young at
44.
This Side of Paradise (1920)
This Side of Paradise was one of the very few novels that delved deep into the intense
world of the Jazz Age, 1920-29. The exposé captured the 20s society and spun into
success early in it’s publication. Fitzgerald coined the term ‘Jazz Age’ himself to
accurately describe the hedonistic tendencies of the era (himself included), and the
expanding interest in jazz music.
, World War 1 brutally stripped many soldiers of their health, mentally and physically,
causing mass destruction to individuals, families, cities and countries. Because
weaponry has become more technologically advanced, it meant war was more deadly,
inflicting permanent damage on everything it touched. A feeling of hopelessness led to
the rambunctious uplift that was the Jazz Age. Leading the era, young people annihilated
the traditional views of the past, and formed their own rules and procedures. This Side
of Paradise labels the post-war atmosphere as aimless and clearly dissatisfied, partly
through protagonist Amory Blaine. He experiences The Great War in conjunction with
the loss of his college friend Kerry Holiday, and as a consequence, searches blindly for
his place in the ever-changing world.
After WW1, which was a depressive age of death, disaster and destruction, an era of
people seeking liberation and pleasure emerged: which the jazz age occupied. During
this period, the people of the 20s experienced freedom - through dance, through
drinking, through their sexuality - and America prospered in wealth as a result of a new
consumer attitude. Simultaneously, laws changed on alcohol consumption, which
ironically did not change the hunger for the forbidden fruit of the generation. An
amendment to The U.S. Constitution pronounced that alcohol could not be produced,
transported or sold. This bill went into effect in 1920, but alcohol continued to be
produced illegally by manufacturers, bars and clubs continuing to sell.
In This Side of Paradise we are in the midst of the decadent 20s, where women’s
emancipation also played a large role. Two women who have a great influence in the
novel are Rosalind and Eleanor - whom Fitzgerald based on The Suffragettes of his time,
who campaigned for the women’s vote. Both women in the novel reject their destiny as
women (to marry), and set out for alternate aspirations. The absence of men in WW1
led to women becoming increasingly relied on, whether it be to run the household or to
earn money from a job. Out were the days of restrictive corsets and floor-length skirts,
of elaborate hairstyles, of sexual modesty, of banned alcohol and cigarettes, of a fate as a
wife, a mother and a homemaker. The 19th Amendment to The U.S. Constitution
allowing women to vote was passed in 1920, the same year as This Side of Paradise was
published.
The Jazz Age allowed women to be sexually free, with the rise of the ‘flapper’ image - a
‘new’ woman, donning short skirts, a bob and an air of flirtatiousness. It was acceptable
for these women to speak their minds and embrace their own sexuality, something that
was still seen as radical. This Side of Paradise explores these options for women,
through the portrayal of Rosalind and Eleanor.
