F. Scott Fitzgerald :: essays research papers

F. Scott Fitzgerald F. Scott Fitzgerald is in many ways one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century. In his origin novel, This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald epitomized the mindset of an era with the disputation that his generation had, & adenylic acidquotgrown up to find altogether Gods dead, all wars fought, and all faiths in man shaken&quot(Fitzgerald 307). Aside from existence a major literary voice of the twenties and thirties, Fitzgerald was also among &quotThe Lost Generations&quot harshest and most perspicacityful kind critics. In his classic novel The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald blatantly criticized the immorality, materialism, and hedonism which characterized the lifestyles of Americas bourgeois during the nineteen-twenties. Collectively, Fitzgeralds novels and short stories provide some of the best insight into the lifestyles of the rich during Americas most prosperous era, while simultaneously examining major literary themes such as disi llusionment, coming of age, and the corruption of the American Dream. The life of F. Scott Fitzgerald is marked by as much, if not more, romanticism and catastrophe than his novels. Throughout Fitzgeralds life, he unsuccessfully battled alcoholism, depression, and himself, in a ask for both personal and literary identity. At the age of twenty-three, Fitzgerald published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, to critical raves and unimaginable economic success. Shortly after the publish of this novel, Fitzgerald was able to coerce Zelda Sayre into marriage. This marriage is manifestly the most significant topic of his life ultimately, Zelda would not only expedite, but essentially, cause the personal and literary downfall of Fitzgerald. Upon marriage, and also coinciding with the pinnacle of Fitzgeralds fame, Scott and Zelda began living a life of wasteful extravagance that was oft characterized by recklessly drunken behavior. In order to maintain this lifestyle, Fitzgerald wa s forced to put aside workings on novels, and focus his creative efforts on penning lucrative, but by no means extraordinary, short stories. Throughout their marriage, Zelda put constant economic, as well as, emotional strains on Fitzgerald. She encouraged his short story writing, as well as his drinking, and was continually swaying his focus from writing to socializing. Also, Zeldas eventual mental breakdown triggered Scotts own series of nervous breakdowns. Because of these factors, Zelda is often considered the prime instigator of Fitzgeralds literary and personal declines. Yet in spite of Zeldas overtly negative influence on Fitzgerald, he continued to love his wife to the day he died.