F. Scott Fitzgerald The Roaring 20’s, Jazz Age, and The Great Gatsby Used with Permission, Brookwood High School, K. Fowler

Early Life Francis Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota His mother was the daughter of an Irish immigrant who made a fortune in the wholesale grocery business. His father, Edward, brought breeding, elegance, and charm to the family even though he was only a marginally successful businessman.

Early Life During his life in Minnesota, Fitzgerald played and associated with rich children—all the time knowing he was never entirely a part of their society. The Fitzgerald’s lived in Minnesota off and on as his father’s business folded in 1897. Eventually, the family moved back to St. Paul and lived off of the McQuillan family fortune.

Schooling Fitzgerald received a mixed welcome when his parents sent him to St. Paul Academy in 1908. He excelled in debate and athletics. In 1909, “The Mystery of the Raymond Mortgage” was published in the school magazine. By 1911, Fitzgerald’s scholastic record began to fall and he was transferred to a Catholic prep school in Hackensack, New Jersey.

Schooling While at the Newman School, he met Friar Sigourney Fay who served him as a mentor, encouraging him to develop his talents as a writer and pursue his dreams of personal achievement and distinction. Fitzgerald published three stories in the school magazine and abandoned his interest in athletics.

F. Scott Fitzgerald While not a top scholar, Fitzgerald entered Princeton University in 1913. By 1917 he was on academic probation.

Army Life When he realized that he was not going to graduate he joined the army and was commissioned second lieutenant in the infantry. He continued to write during this time in the army.

Army Life In 1918, Fitzgerald submitted The Romantic Egotist to Charles Scribner’s Sons. It was rejected with a request for resubmission upon revision. Also in 1918, while assigned to Camp Sheridan in Alabama, the course of his life would change forever.

First Love Fitzgerald, now 22-years-old, fell in love with then 18-year-old debutant Zelda Sayre. The daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge, Zelda refused marriage until Fitzgerald could support her in the fashion in which she was accustomed.

First Love Fitzgerald was discharged from the army in February 1919, and moved to New York to work with an advertising agency, hoping to make enough so that he and Zelda could marry. By June, Zelda had tired of waiting for Fitzgerald to make his fortune and called off their engagement.

First Love That summer Fitzgerald returned to St. Paul to revise The Romantic Egotist. In September it was accepted with the new title This Side of Paradise. One week after its publication, Scott and Zelda were married in New York.

Glamorous Lifestyle The novel was an instant success, and the newlyweds were pushed into the limelight. Scott and Zelda were synonymous with life in the 1920’s. Fitzgerald’s lifestyle was like something out of his books. Drinking, dancing, and extravagance surrounded the couple. They traveled between the United States and Europe (usually France), and were a part of “The Lost Generation.”

Glamorous Lifestyle In 1921, Zelda gave birth to the couple’s only child, a daughter named Frances Scott Fitzgerald, nicknamed “Scottie.”

Hidden Hardships Despite their status, domestic life was full of hardships. The Fitzgerald family went through periods of heavy alcohol consumption, frequent fights, and financial difficulties. Although Fitzgerald’s first novel did well, his second did not meet its success.

Hidden Hardships In 1930, Zelda experienced her first of three mental breakdowns. She had been troubled during much of their marriage and was eventually institutionalized. After her third breakdown she was institutionalized for good and died in a hospital fire in 1948.

Hidden Hardships Fitzgerald remained married to Zelda to the end. However, Zelda required more care than he could give and he had to work hard to keep her comfortably institutionalized. Many of Fitzgerald’s debts were due to the illness.

A Second Chance Eventually, Fitzgerald met and fell in love with Sheilah Graham, with whom he spent the last five years of his life. Sheilah encouraged Fitzgerald to continue writing and got his stalling career back on track. Fitzgerald wrote four complete novels: This Side of Paradise The Beautiful and the Damned The Great Gatsby Tender is the Night And was working on The Last Tycoon when he died.

A Second Chance Despite being the golden boy of the Jazz Age, upon his death, many obituaries were condescending, and focused on his personal hardships. Together with Zelda, his personal life has become a part of the American landscape and his work helps explain the youthful exuberance of the 1920’s.

The 1920’s Politics: A time of growth, prosperity, as well as corruption. Harding assumed the presidency and his administration was plagued with scandal, corruption, and connections with organized crime.

The 1920’s Politics: Laborers were undermined in disputes about wages. Taxes benefited the wealthy more than other groups. Industries such as agriculture and textiles suffered greatly, causing people to move to the city to look for work.

The 1920’s Economics: Boasted financial gain Dividends from stock rose by 108 percent Commercial growth resulted in rampant materialism People began to spend their money on consumer goods, recreation, and leisure All would come to a halt in 1929 with the great stock market crash, sending the USA into the greatest depression it has ever known.

1920’s Immigration: 800,000 people came to America between June of 1920 and June of 1921 Organized lobbying against immigration A bill was passed, setting quotas for the amount of immigrants that could come to America in a particular year. This brought immigration down to 164,000 per year. The quota was discriminating, particularly to those from south and east Europe, and Asia.

1920’s 18th amendment enacted in 1919 Prohibition: 18th amendment enacted in 1919 This amendment made it illegal for anyone to manufacture, sell, or transport liquor of any sort Organized crime stepped in to meet the demand when the liquor business became profitable

1920’s World War I: Many characters from The Great Gatsby participated in WWI, as did Fitzgerald. When the soldiers returned, they were changed. They found ideas and attitudes waiting for them at home to be representative of outdated thinking; therefore, they rebelled. Many became “expatriates” and a part of the “Lost Generation” and moved to places such as Paris, France or London, England.

1920’s Women: The women at home also found post-war America to be too constructive. Many had found jobs and were unwilling to give up the by-products of their employment: social and economic freedom The 19th amendment, enacted in 1920, gave women the right to vote. A symbolic show of emancipation was the bobbed haircut. They cut of the one great indicator of femininity. Women began to wear clothes that accentuated their body, smoked and drank openly, and relaxed their attitudes toward sex.

Jazz Age FLAPPER

The Great Gatsby Captures a snapshot of middle- and upper- class American life in the 1920’s. Explores the human condition in a world characterized by social upheaval and uncertainty, which has direct, historical accuracy. Fitzgerald establishes a sense of urgency as he characterizes the Jazz Age society as “people working hard to ensure no one else climbs as high as they” (Maurer 11).