Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald Shannon Baker AP English

Biography F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24, His family was financially secure; however, they did not prefer the social life of the upper-class. Though Fitzgerald played with the wealthy kids, he was never fully accepted by them.

Biography continued Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy where he excelled in debate and athletics. He joined the Navy where he never experienced any battles of WWI and didn’t even have to go to France. In 1918, he met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre, an 18 year old girl who stole his heart.

Biography continued She refused to marry him because he did not have the financial means to give her the lifestyle that she wanted. He writes This Side of Paradise, his first novel, in Two weeks after the novel starts flying off of shelves, Zelda agrees to marry him and they take up residency in New York. One year later, their daughter, Frances “Scottie” Fitzgerald is born.

Biography continued The family lives a very extravagant lifestyle with lots of drinking and partying, leading to his and Zelda’s alcoholism. Zelda has a 3 mental breakdowns in the 1930’s and is institutionalized by Fitzgerald dies in 1940 where he had basically slipped into oblivion. He has no friends present at the funeral because all deserted him when he couldn’t throw the elaborate parties of the past.

The Great Gatsby Gatsby is published in 1925 and is his most famous work. This novel is the American equivalent of T.S. Eliot’s famous poem, The Waste Land. See handout

The Roaring Twenties This time period of American history is established due to The United States’ overall success in WWI. The economy is strong. The country survives the influenza outbreak of There is a feeling of invincibility after the war. There is a general fun-seeking attitude in the country.

The Roaring Twenties (cont.) There are other names associated with this movement. The Jazz Age: new dances and music; never-ending party. The Age of Intolerance: America wants to remain out of other’s affairs so as not to be drawn into another world war; refuse to join The League of Nations and establish immigration policies The Age of Wonderful Nonsense: flappers; bathtub gin; prosperity; moral and sexual revolution

The Roaring Twenties (cont.) This time period also brings to light the corruption of the wealthy and of the government. Warren G. Harding tries to address the nation with his “return to normalcy” speech; however, the Teapot Dome Scandal illustrated the greed and desire to accumulate wealth among politicians, so he is not taken seriously. (see handout)

Roaring Twenties (cont.) When Calvin Coolidge takes office, though vowing to decrease government corruption, he adopts the laissez-faire attitude toward business. This just transfers the appearance of corruption from the government to the appearance of corruption of business.

Prohibition, Organized Crime, and Gatsby’s Fortune See handout.

Style, Setting, and Theme See handout

Is Gatsby The Typical Hero? There are several different types of heroes in literature. We will examine two types to evaluate Gatsby in this novel. Byronic Hero: Established by British Romantic poet George Gordon, Lord Byron. Defined as a larger-than-life, but flawed character who could be considered to be a rebel.

Byronic Hero (cont) He is a hyper-sensitive loner who is obsessively following the Romantic Quest which is doomed for failure. He usually ends up dead at the end of the story, either because of his own choices and action or either because of his conscious choice.

Byronic Hero (cont) The Byronic Hero checklist: Exhibits conflicting emotions and excessive moodiness Is passionate about a particular issue Can be introspective and critical of himself Struggles with his own sense of integrity. Operates largely within his own set of rules and principles Rejects accepted codes and norms of society Is fiercely independent and strongly individual Is a loner Displays a lack of respect for rank and privilege Has a troubled or mysterious past Can be cynical, demanding, and arrogant Exhibits self-destructive tendencies and behavior

The Tragic Hero The tragic hero is first established by Aristotle. Defined as a man (god, demi-god, high- ranking official) who rises to a high position and then falls from that high position due to a tragic flaw and his fate.

Tragic Hero Checklist Exhibits hubris (excessive pride) Believes “his” own law holds precedence over God’s law Attempts to do everything in his power to avoid his “fate” Ignores the prophesy of others Tends to waste his human potential Chooses to take action based on the urging of others Tragic flaw arises from his attempt to gain, or regain, his rightful status in society Tends to sacrifice everything he has to gain what he feels he deserves.