A Brief Biography of F Scott Fitzgerald.docx
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A Brief Biography of F Scott Fitzgerald.docx
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ABriefBiographyofFScottFitzgerald
ABriefBiographyofF.ScottFitzgerald
F.ScottFitzgerald(1896-1940)wasawriterverymuchofhisowntime.AsMalcolmCowleyonceputit,helivedinaroomfullofclocksandcalendars.Theyearstickedawaywhilehenotedthesongs,theshows,thebooks,thequarterbacks.Hisowncareerfollowedthepatternofthenation,boomingintheearly1920sandskiddingintonearoblivionduringthedepthsoftheDepression.Yethisfictiondidmorethanmerelyreportonhistimes,oronhimselfasaprototypicalrepresentative,forFitzgeraldhadthegiftofdoublevision.LikeWaltWhitmanorhisownNickCarraway,hewassimultaneouslywithinandwithout,atonceimmersedinhistimesandabletoviewthem--andhimself--withstrikingobjectivity.Thisrareability,alongwithhisrhetoricalbrilliance,hasestablishedFitzgeraldasoneofthemajornovelistsandstorywritersofthetwentiethcentury.
ThesourceofFitzgerald'stalentremainsamystery.EdwardFitzgerald,hisfather,camefrom"tired,oldstock"withrootsinMaryland.HisjobwithProctorandGambletookthefamilytoBuffaloandSyracuseformostofhisson'sfirstdecade.ThenthecompanyletEdwardFitzgeraldgo,andhereturnedtoSaintPaulblamingnoonebuthimselfandgoingdailytoanofficewheretherewasnotmuchforhimtodo.Hedrankmorethanheshouldhavebuthadbeautifulmannersthathetaughttohisonlyson.EdwardFitzgerald'sgreat-great-grandfatherwasthebrotherofFrancisScottKey'sgrandfather,andifScottFitzgeraldclaimedacloserrelationship,itwashardlyhisfault.HehadafterallbeenchristenedFrancisScottKeyFitzgerald,andhismotherMolliewasinordinatelyproudoftheKeyconnectionshehadmarriedinto.Herownfamilycouldoffernopretensionstoaristocracy,certainly.PhilipFrancisMcQuillan,herfather,hademigratedfromIrelandin1843andbuiltasubstantialwholesalegrocerybusinessinSaintPaul.>FromhimmayhavestemmedtheenergythatfueledScottFitzgerald'sproductionof160storiesandfourandahalfnovels.Equallyimportant,probably,wasFitzgerald'ssenseofhavingcomefromtwowidelydifferentCelticstrains.Hehadearlydevelopedaninferioritycomplexinafamilywherethe"blackIrishhalf...hadthemoneyandlookeddownontheMarylandsideofthefamilywhohad,andreallyhad...`breeding.'"AsaboyScottusedtoimaginethathewasbornofroyalbloodbuthadturnedupontheFitzgeralds'doorstep.Helovedhisfather,butcouldhardlyrespecthim.Hisfeelingsabouthismotherwereevenmorecomplicated.
MollieFitzgeraldhadlosttwochildrentoepidemicsbeforeherbright,handsomeScottcamealong.Nobeautyherself,shespoiledhersonandlovedtoshowhimoff.Whencompanycalled,hewastrottedoutinhisLittleLordFauntleroysuittoreciteorsingandaccepttheapplause.Untilhewasfifteen,helaterremarked,hedidnotknowanyoneelsewasalive.Molliewasalsoextremelyambitiousforhersonsocially.ThoughCatholic,Irish,andthesonofanunsuccessfulbusinessman,ScottwenttodancingschoolwithchildrenofSaintPaul'selite.Atanunusuallyearlyagehebecameinterestedingirls,andstillmoreinterestedinthegameofadolescentcourtship.Inhis"Thoughtbook"attheageoffourteen,heputdownthenamesofhisfavoritegirlsofthemoment.MarieHerseywastheprettiest,MargaretArmstrongthebesttalker.Hewantedtobefirstintheaffectionsofboth,andsawnoneedtodrawthelineattwo."LastyearindancingschoolIgot11valentinesandthisyear15,"hewrote.Itwasagamethatheenjoyedplayingandthatheplayedbetterthanmost.Afewyearslaterhewroteforthebenefitofhisyoungersister,Annabel,acloselydetailedsetofinstructionsabouthowtoattractboys.Later,in"BerniceBobsHerHair"(1920),hepresentedsomeofthesameadviceinfictionalform.
AsayouthFitzgeraldrevealedaflairfordramatics,firstinSaintPaulwherehewroteoriginalplaysforamateurproduction,andlaterattheNewmanSchoolinHackensack,NewJersey,andatPrinceton,wherehecomposedlyricsfortheuniversity'sfamousTriangleClubproductions.Healsocarriedonanextensivecorrespondencewithdebutantesandsubdebutantes.ForFitzgerald,boy-girlrelationshipsamountedtoakindofcontestinwhichtherecouldbeonlyonewinner.Thereisampleevidencethatheregardedman-womanrelationshipsinmuchthesameway,exceptthatashegrewolderthegameturnedintoanincreasinglybitterandsometimesviolentconflict.DuringthehecticpartyseasoninSaintPaul,ChristmasofhissophomoreyearatPrinceton,FitzgeraldmorethanmethismatchinthecharmingGinevraKingofChicago,LakeForest,andthegreatworldofwealthandfamilybackground.Theydatedafewtimesandconductedalongandheatedcorrespondence,butintheend,almostinevitably,Fitzgeraldlosther.ThereisalegendthatGinevra'sfathertoldScottthat"poorboysshouldn'tthinkofmarryingrichgirls."Whetherhesaiditornot,Fitzgeraldintuitedsuchamessageandtriedtoworkoffsomeofhisdisappointmentinanumberofhismostpowerfulstories,beginningwith"TheDebutante,"publishedintheNassauLitinJanuary1917andlaterincludedinThisSideofParadise(1920).
Bythetimethatfamousfirstnovelappearedin1920,Fitzgeraldwasengagedtomarryyetanotherenchantinggirl,ZeldaSayreofMontgomery,Alabama,thedaughterofajudgeandbyallaccountsabelleofshockinglyunconventionalbehavior.ButRosalindConnageinThisSideofParadisederivesfromGinevraKing,anditisshewhorejectsAmoryBlainebecauseheispoorandhasn'tmuchbywayofprospects."Ican'tbeshutawayfromthetreesandtheflowers,coopedupinalittleflat,waitingforyou,"shetellsAmory.And:
"Idon'twanttothinkaboutpotsandkitchensandbrooms.IwanttoworrywhethermylegswillgetslickandbrownwhenIswiminthesummer."Asshetellsanothersuitor,"Givenadecentstartanygirlcanbeatamannowadays."
ItwascharacteristicofFitzgerald,whowasoneofthemostautobiographicalofwriters,totransformhisownexperienceintofiction.LaterhewastoappropriateZelda'slifeinallitstragicdimensionsforuseinhisstoriesandnovels.Butinthisfirstnovel,whichsoldmorethan40,000copiesin1920,thefocuswasonFitzgeraldhimself,thinlydisguisedastheprotagonistAmoryBlaine,andonthepeoplehehadcometoknowandtheeventsthathadbefallenhiminhisyounglife,particularlyduringthatpartofitspentattheNewmanSchoolinHackensack,NewJersey,andatPrinceton.AtNewmanFitzgeraldhadencounteredFatherCyrilSigourneyWebsterFay,aworldlyCatholicconvertwhodelightedtheboybyrecognizinghispotentialandtreatinghimlikeanadult.ForatimeFitzgerald'sCatholicrootsthreatenedtoemerge.AtPrincetonhehadmetJohnPealeBishop,ayoungliterarymanwhoheadedtheNassauLit,Princeton'sliterarymagazine,andbecame,alongwithEdmundWilson,afriendforthelonghaul.FayandBishopappearinThisSideofParadiseasMonsignorDarcyandThomasParked'Invilliers,respectively,anditwouldbeeasyenoughtolistactualmodelsforothercharactersinthenovel.AlwaystheemphasisstaysonAmory,however.Withpeopleandeventsalike,asAndrewTurnbullobserved,"FitzgeraldadheredtotheRenaissanceandRomanticconceptionofthewriterasamanofactionwhoexperienceshismaterialatfirsthand--notfromlackofimagination,butsohecanwriteaboutitmoreintensely."
ThisSideofParadisebecamepopularinlargepartbecauseitportrayedthehabitsandcustomsoftheyoungpostwargeneration.Theyouthsdolittlemorethankisscasually,takeanoccasionaldrink,andtreattheirparentsrudely,butin1920thatwasenoughtobrandthemasrebels,evenifnoonewassurewhattheywererebellingagainst.Forhispart,AmoryBlaineisaremarkablytameandimpeccablymoralyoungmanwhofliesfromthearmsofaseductivechorusgirlasifshewereanagentofthedevil.Heevenutterssomehigh-soundingphrasesaboutdemocraticsocialism.Buthisprincipalinterest,andthatofthenovel,isinpursuingtwonotentirelyunrelatedgoals.AmoryseekstowinthegoldengirlandtoachieverecognitionasaleaderatPrinceton.HisfailuretowinRosalindishardlyAmory'sfault,sincehecouldnothavepreventedhisfamily'slossofwealth.ButhisfailureatPrincetonisanothermatter.
LikeFitzgerald,AmoryBlainethrowshimselfintotheworkoftheTriangleClub(and,inAmory'scase,theDailyPrincetonian).Hethusneglectshisstudiestothepointwhereheiseventuallyineligibletoaccepttherewardsthatwouldhavebeenhisifhehadmanagedevenafairacademicrecord.LikeFitzgerald,AmoryspendstoomuchtimeandenergyanalyzingthesocialsystematPrincetonasakindofglamorouscountryclub(thisaspectofthebookoutragedsomesonsofNassauanddrewaletterofobjectionfromPrinceton'spresident).AttheendofThisSideofParadise,AmoryBlainehaspresumablymatured."Iknowmyself,...butthatisall,"heannounces.Itisdoubtful.
InformThisSideofParadiseislessanovelthanthecollectedworks,to1920,ofitstwenty-three-year-oldauthor.Fitzgeraldembedspoems,playfragments,andshortstorieswithinhissprawlingbook.AsJamesMillerwastoobserve,theresultreadslikewhatH.G.Wellscalledthenovelofsaturation.Yetforallitsshortcomingsofstructure,theme,andcharacter,ThisSideofParadisestillpossessesoneunmistakablesignofgenius.Ithaslife,andthoughthetimesandthecustomshavechanged,thevitalityremains.
MaxwellPerkinsatScribnersrecognizedthisatonce,andencouragedFitzgeraldthroughtworevisionsofhisbook,mucho
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