F. Scott Fitzgerald Research Paper

F Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. Although his last finished work was more than 60 years ago, today they are enjoyed with more enthusiasm and acclaim than they were when they were written. His works are cited as an influence for many other authors. Fitzgerald saw his writing as a reflection of his own life. His works are closely based on his experiences at Princeton, in World War 1 and his love life. Although he was not overly popular at the time of his death, today, he is regarded as one of the best authors of the modern era.

Have you ever wondered about shipwrecks? Probably at some point in your life you have. What about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald? It was the worst and fastest shipwreck in Great Lakes history. The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald has a significant story and a significant history behind it, and it’s unfortunate the ship and her crew members aren’t here today.

Authors from the 1920’s are among the most exceptional and famous writers of today, one of the greatest well-known being F. Scott Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald wrote multiple extraordinary novels, though he is most accredited for The Great Gatsby. In this book he discloses essential truths about life, which are more relevant in today’s society than ever before. Within the article A Gatsby for Today, Sven Birkerts provides further insight to these truths and imparts the importance of their lessons. F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals important truths about life through the characters Jay Gatsby, who displays disillusionment, and Myrtle Wilson, who demonstrates hope.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, a St. Paul, Minnesota native, was born on September 24, 1896. His father, Edward Fitzgerald, had co-written a novel in his youth and often read works by Edgar Allen Poe and Lord George Gordon Byron to Scott during his childhood. While Fitzgerald’s father praised his literary attempts, both of his parents encouraged him to pursue other career paths. Nevertheless, Fitzgerald was steadfast in his literary endeavors, writing for both his high school and college newspapers. He later dropped out of Princeton University in order to join the army and continued to pursue writing, penning both magazine articles and musical lyrics (Adams 10-11).

—F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters, ed. Matthew J. Bruccoli. New York: Scribners, 1994. pg. 352.

As Florence King once said, “People are so busy dreaming the American Dream, fantasizing about what they could be or have a right to be, that they're all asleep at the switch. This quote symbolizes the simple fact that the American Dream is impossible for someone to ever attain because people are to busy dreaming about what others have, that they fail to recognize what they themselves already have attained. The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald has had an unprecedented impact on America. His novels contain recurring themes that establish the facets of modern American society with which he avidly disagrees. His characters Jay Gatsby and Armory Blaine both portray men in American society who have through

     F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a tragic tale of love distorted by obsession. Finding himself in the city of New York, Jay Gatsby is a loyal and devoted man who is willing to cross oceans and build mansions for his one true love. His belief in realistic ideals and his perseverance greatly influence all the decisions he makes and ultimately direct the course of his life. Gatsby has made a total commitment to a dream, and he does not realize that his dream is hollow. Although his intentions are true, he sometimes has a crude way of getting his point across. When he makes his ideals heard, his actions are wasted on a thoughtless and shallow society. Jay Gatsby effectively embodies a romantic idealism

Expressions such as these only distance Tom from benign human tendencies, leaving him less worthy of receiving any compassion from his audience. By creating a character like Tom, Fitzgerald leaves the reader with the impression that one born into and consumed by wealth will become the most unappealing and bland character of all. In this way the author leaves a sense of emptiness associated with Tom and continues to sew the thread of emptiness in all other characters consumed by wealth in his story.

     F. Scott Fitzgerald is seen as one of the greatest American writers, admired by his contemparies and by modern audiences of today. Fitzgerald was very much in tune with the early twentieth century American culture. He is credited with capturing the ‘Jazz Age’, which he described as “a generation grown up to find all Gods dead, all wars fought, all faiths in man shaken”. Fitzgerald observed the culture around him with a critical eye. Despite being able to depict America like few others could, many see Fitzgerald’s writing as an indictment on its values.

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, also known as F. Scott Fitzgerald, was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896. His father, Edward, was from Maryland, with a commitment to the Old South’s values. Fitzgerald’s mother, Mary McQuillan, was the daughter of an Irish immigrant who made his wealth as a wholesale grocer in St. Paul. Both of Fitzgerald’s parents were Catholics. Fitzgerald had one sibling, a sister, Annabel, born in 1901. The National Anthem was penned by F. Scott’s second cousin. Fitzgerald was a student at St. Paul Academy as a young boy. While attending St. Paul Academy, Fitzgerald had his first story published in the school newspaper at the young age of 13(Bloom). When F. Scott’s father, Edward Fitzgerald, lost his job

Fitzgerald’s works were closely linked to the time and the place that he lived. His own struggles to reach his success and his lust for the American Dream made him write some very popular novels. During that period of time, the famous American Dream was supposed to make everyone happy. Everyone, no matter what social class they belong to, would work and live as they pleased. People would work and be successful and America would be wealthy and prosperous.

F Scott Fitzgerald has been one of the most recognizable authors out there today. Many people admire his work, but he’s hard to catch and follow due to his busy schedule and personal lifestyle being an alcoholic. On the 19th of November 1925 I was given a chance to meet up with F. Scott Fitzgerald, to discuss about the eminent novel written by him “The Great Gatsby” at his house in Los Angeles. The books about a poor turned wealthy man, Gatsby and his attempt on getting his past lover back. What you’re about to read is one of the first few interviews ever with Mr. Fitzgerald in person. Below is the transcript of that interview.

Gatsby does not belong to his own class and he is not accepted by the upper class, therefore he becomes an exception. Because of disappointment of being looked down upon and impossibility of accept by the upper class, he has nothing left except his love, which is also his “love dream”. Gatsby’s love for Daisy has been the sole drive and motive of his living. Gatsby’s great love is also the root of his great tragedy, because he is desperately in love with a woman who is not worthy of his deep love. Fitzgerald offers Gatsby with the spirit of sincerity, generosity, nobility, perseverance, and loyalty. All his good natures can be seen

F. Scott Fitzgerald, American short-story writer and famous novelist, is well-known for having written The Great Gatsby in 1925, also known as his magnum opus. His personal life was also why many individuals knew about him. He was always known as an alcoholic, and after he finished writing The Great Gatsby, his alcoholic and depression problems got worse, so he tried to keep writing novels, like Tender is the Night, but they were all failures according to the readers (Willett, Erika). When Fitzgerald died, his novels started becoming great American novels, like The Great Gatsby. Fitzgerald focused his stories on the Roaring Twenties and the American Dream, which grasped many individuals’ attention. The Great Gatsby was a perfect representation of the American society in that time period. Fitzgerald used his excellent writing skills to criticize Americans and influence them at the same time. All individuals wanted to be wealthy to be able to live a perfect life, but only people that were born in wealthy families could have that privilege in that time period. Immigrants also wanted to achieve their American Dream, but they would have to work very hard to make it happen (Library of Congress). Materialism was the finish line for all Americans. Since they were already wealthy, all they wanted to do was buy more and more. They felt powerful when they owned more things than others. The Great Gatsby gives the readers a “sneak peek” of what life in the U.S. was like in the 1920’s.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works were greatly influenced by the events that took place in his marriage; from the beginning of his marriage, through the hardships the couple faced, and towards the end of their short lives, his writings illustrate the journey through their unique relationship.