FREE ESSAY ON F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

F. SCOTT FITZGERALD

F. Scott Fitzgerald
F. Scott Fitzgerald is in many ways one of the most important American writers of the
twentieth century. In his first novel, This Side of Paradise, Fitzgerald epitomized the
mindset of an era with the statement that his generation had, "grown up to find all Gods
dead, all wars fought, and all faiths in man shaken..."(Fitzgerald 307). Aside from being
a major literary voice of the twenties and thirties, Fitzgerald was also among "The Lost
Generation's" harshest and most insightful social critics. In his classic novel The Great
Gatsby, Fitzgerald blatantly criticized the immorality, materialism, and hedonism which
characterized the lifestyles of America's bourgeois during the nineteen-twenties.
Collectively, Fitzgerald's novels and short stories provide some of the best insight into
the lifestyles of the rich during America's most prosperous era, while simultaneously
examining major literary themes such as disillusionment, 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
tragedy than his novels. Throughout Fitzgerald's life, he unsuccessfully battled
alcoholism, depression, and himself, in a quest 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 publishing of this
novel, Fitzgerald was able to coerce Zelda Sayre into marriage. This marriage is
manifestly the most significant event of his life-eventually, Zelda would not only
expedite, but essentially, cause the personal and literary downfall of Fitzgerald. Upon
marriage, and also coinciding with the pinnacle of Fitzgerald's fame, Scott and Zelda
began living a life of wasteful extravagance that was often characterized by recklessly
drunken behavior. In order to maintain this lifestyle, Fitzgerald was forced to put aside
working 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, Zelda's eventual mental
breakdown triggered Scott's own series of nervous breakdowns. Because of these factors,
Zelda is often considered the prime instigator of Fitzgerald's literary and personal
declines. Yet in spite of Zelda's overtly negative influence on Fitzgerald, he continued
to love his wife to the day he died. Later in life, after Zelda became mentally ill,
Fitzgerald clearly illustrated his unconditional love for his wife by compromising his
artistic integrity in order to write short stories to support her medical expenses. 
Aside from Zelda, two major American literary figures played a substantial role in
Fitzgerald's life, and his personal decline as well. On an extended trip to Europe, and
at the pinnacle of his fame, Fitzgerald met and became acquainted with a then obscure
fellow expatriate named Ernest Hemmingway. Throughout the course of their friendship,
Hemmingway would become Fitzgerald's harshest critic, and in the eyes of Fitzgerald, his,
"artistic conscience"(Meyers 263). The second major American literary figure who
influenced Fitzgerald's life was Edgar Allen Poe. Fitzgerald's intrigue with both the
tragic and romantic elements of Poe's life, as well as the many similarities these two
men shared, may have very well facilitated his plunge into the unforgiving abysses of
alcoholism and depression.
Jeffrey Meyers' biography Scott Fitzgerald provides a complete and seemingly unbiased
account of the life of one of the most complex men in American literary history. Whereas
previous biographies tended to over-exaggerate either the romantic or tragic elements of
Fitzgerald's life, Scott Fitzgerald does not in any way attempt to emphasize these
aspects. Rather, this biography offers a strait-forward interpretation of both the life
and works of Fitzgerald. It illustrates the importance of his relationships with Zelda
Sayre and Ernest Hemmingway; the mentally and physically destructive influence of his
alcoholism; and the parallels between his life and his writings. Through these facets,
and many others, Meyers provides insight into Fitzgerald's life, without forcing his own
opinion of the subject upon the reader.
Personally, I found Scott Fitzgerald to be both insightful and interesting. Compared to
other Fitzgerald biographies that I have read, Meyers' biography was clearly the least
biased and the most strait-forward. In terms of literary style, I found this biography
very pleasing to read. Meyers' deftly wove primary quotes, his own prose, and excerpts of
Fitzgerald's writing into a coherent and thought provoking portrayal of a very complex
man. To all fans of F. Scott Fitzgerald, I recommend this biography strongly, but to
those who don't know the difference between Scott and Ella Fitzgerald, I recommend this
biography with reservation.