THE GREAT GATSBY - WEEK 1 - INTRO

THE GREAT GATSBY by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I am so excited to read The Great Gatsby with you over the next few weeks! Filled with relevant topics for us today, be prepared to tackle some deep issues!

Today, I'm going to introduce you to F. Scott Fitzgerald, the author. Try and keep some of his info tucked away in the back of your mind as we step into the pages of The Great Gatsby. We're going to see Fitzgerald's life's fingerprints all over this book.

Frances Scott Fitzgerald, named after Frances Scott Key, was born September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota to an unsuccessful, aristocratic father and highly energetic mother. From a young age he had a very romantic imagination. He attended Princeton University and was almost a brilliant success until love came on the scene. He fell in love with one of the "great beauties" of the time, Ginevra King. He ended up losing her and flunked out of Princeton. In 1917 he joined the army. While stationed in Alabama he met Zelda Sayve, the daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court Judge. Love returned. Engaged, he headed to New York to try and make a success of himself so he could marry Zelda. He ended up making $90/month, and Zelda broke off the engagement. Fitzgerald returned to St. Paul and worked on a manuscript he had started at Princeton. This Side of Paradise was published, Zelda married Fitzgerald, and he became very famous! Zelda and Fitzgerald were called "the prince and princess" of their generation. They loved the attention, but it also frightened them. Fitzgerald wrote and published a second book, The Beautiful and the D***ed. The book told the story about a young man and his wife waiting to inherit a fortune that they don't receive until they are in their middle age. By then, they are worn and "there is nothing left preserving." The Fitzgeralds moved to the Riviera. While there, Fitzgerald penned The Great Gatsby. He also began to excessively drink and Zelda had a breakdown that she never recovered from. She was committed to a sanatorium. In 1937, Fitzgerald got his drinking under control enough to become a script writer and he fell in love with Shelia Graham, a Hollywood gossip columnist that he quietly lived with until he died at age 44 from a heart attack.

Okay! The ball's in your court. It's time to read Chapter 1 over the next week. Next Thursday, the first discussion post will go up! See you then!