F. Scott Fitzgerald
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In the 1920s, the American literary scene was dominated by fascinating and compelling characters, who were known as much for the lives that they led as the novels and stories that they produced. There is perhaps no better example of this phenomenon than F. Scott Fitzgerald, a writer who is often considered the spokesman for the Jazz Age. Indeed, much of Fitzgerald's writing was informed by his own personal experiences, and his novels not only capture what life was like in the United States during the 1920s, but what Fitzgerald's life in particular was like. Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise, is often considered his most autobiographical, but each of his works contain elements borrowed from his own life. In his masterpiece, The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald bases much of the main character's past upon his own, and the reader is thus able to glimpse into the world of not only Fitzgerald the author, but Fitzgerald the man as well. This paper will examine the ways in which The Great Gatsby functions as an autobiographical work, and highlight the parallels between the backgrounds of Fitzgerald and his protagonist, Gatsby. To understand the links between Fitzgerald's life and his writing in The Great Gatsby, it is important to consider his background and experiences at the time in which he wrote the novel. Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota to Mollie McQuillan and Edward Fitzgerald. His mother had given birth to two children
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rt attack in the home of his then lover, Sheilah Graham. Zelda was living in Montgomery with her mother at the time, as the two were effectively separated. Fitzgerald was buried in the Rockville Union Cemetery in Rockville, Maryland, where many of his relatives were interred (Bruccoli 580-581).
Given Fitzgerald's background, it certainly becomes easier to understand the genesis of The Great Gatsby's story and particularly, that of the main character, Jay Gatsby. Indeed, the novel's central focus -- the differences between the rich and the "rest of us" -- was an idea that Fitzgerald had struggled with since adolescence. In many ways, The Great Gatsby can read as his attempt to articulate the belief that the wealthy were almost a different race. In some sense, he viewed them as a form of royalty. They were not mere mortals, and their lives, Fitzgerald believed, were thus more radiant and thrilling than the average person's. The elaborate party scenes at Gatsby's mansion quite effectively convey the sense of awe and wonder that Fitzgerald felt for the upper class (Turnbull 150). Indeed, the way in which his guests respond to Gatsby and his legend are indicative of this sentiment toward the rich: "We all turned and looked
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Approximate Word count = 3087
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)
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