1. F. Scott Fitzgerald & The Great Gatsby

2. Early Biography  Sept 24,1896: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald born in St. Paul, MN  Attends an expensive boarding school in New Jersey. Said he felt like, “one of the poorest boys in a rich boys’ school.”  His grades not good enough for Princeton, but he persuades the school into accepting him.

3. Fitzgerald in the Army  While on academic probation, Fitzgerald joins the army as a 2nd lieutenant in 1917. WWI was raging Fitzgerald was not a good officer and never made it to the front  June 1918: Fitzgerald stationed in Montgomery, AL  He meets Zelda Sayre, daughter of an Alabama Supreme Court judge.

4. Scott & Zelda Fitzgerald  After a whirlwind courtship, Scott and Zelda fall in love.  But she breaks off their engagement because she is unwilling to live on Scott’s small salary.

5. Literary Career Beginnings  June 1919: After Zelda rejects him, Fitzgerald returns to St. Paul, MN to rewrite his novel, This Side of Paradise.  In the fall of that year, he begins writing magazine stories.  He writes many stories for the Saturday Evening Post describing the free- thinking flappers of the 1920’s.

6. Overnight Fame  March 26, 1920: This Side of Paradise is published, making the 24 year-old Fitzgerald famous almost overnight.  One week later, he marries Zelda Sayre in New York.

7. Extravagant Living  Scott & Zelda begin to live as young celebrities, socializing and drinking heavily.  They take their first trip to Europe in 1921.  October 1921: Their first and only child, Frances Scott (Scottie) Fitzgerald is born.

8. Early Stumblings  Fall, 1922: The young family moves to Great Neck, NY, expecting to earn a lot of money from Scott’s play, The Vegetable.  1923: The play bombs, and Scott has to write short stories to get out of debt.  Scott’s drinking increases. He and Zelda fight often.

9. Gatsby is Born  Spring 1924: The Fitzgeralds go to France.  Summer 1924: Scott starts writing The Great Gatsby.  Zelda has a relationship with a French pilot.  Winter 1924-25: The Fitzgeralds go to Rome where Scott revises Gatsby.  April 1925. Gatsby is published. Critical reviews are positive, but sales remain low.

10. Further Estrangement  During the 1920’s, Scott and Zelda’s relationship continues to be strained due to his drinking and her mental instability.  Zelda begins writing, too, and also studies ballet.  They live in Paris, the Riviera, and a mansion near Wilmington, DE.  Even though Fitzgerald earns about $4,000 per story (equal to about $40,000 today), he and Zelda continue to run into debt.

11. 1930’s  The Fitzgeralds rent a house in Montgomery, AL in 1931. Scott makes an unsuccessful trip to Hollywood  Zelda suffers a mental breakdown in 1932 and is hospitalized.  1936-37: Scott drinks, gets into more debt, and lives in hotels near Asheville, NC. Zelda enters a nearby hospital.

12. The Last Years  Summer 1937: Fitzgerald goes to Hollywood with a screenwriting contract earning $1,000/ week.  Despite earning $91,000 from MGM, he is unable to save any money.  1938: He falls in love with Sheilah Graham, a movie columnist.  Dec 21, 1940: Fitzgerald dies of a heart attack in Graham’s apartment.  1948: Zelda dies in a fire at Highland Hospital.

13. Fitzgerald’s Legacy  Although Fitzgerald’s drinking gave him a reputation as an irresponsible writer, he was a painstaking reviser.  While he endured a lot of criticism just after his death, his reputation grew in the 1960’s.  Today, he is considered one of the great American novelists, and The Great Gatsby is considered his masterpiece.

14. Enduring Associations  Fitzgerald has become identified with the extravagant living of the Jazz Age: “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.” “It was an age of miracles, it was an age of art, it was an age of excess, and it was an age of satire.” --F. Scott Fitzgerald --F. Scott Fitzgerald  He felt that aspiration and idealism defined America and its people.  His writing style is known for being clear, lyrical, and witty.

15.  Sources:  www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html  www.orionmcs1.freeservers.com/Fitzgerald-1.html www.orionmcs1.freeservers.com/Fitzgerald-1.html  www.rarebookonline.com/Fax_Jackets/thissideofparadise.jpg www.rarebookonline.com/Fax_Jackets/thissideofparadise.jpg  www.born-today.com/Today/09-24.htm www.born-today.com/Today/09-24.htm  www.zeldathemusical.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp www.zeldathemusical.com/fitzgeralds/index.asp  www.planetbunky.com/illustrations/zelda.html www.planetbunky.com/illustrations/zelda.html  www.ellisparkerbutler.info/epb/pic/v07/saturday_evening_post_1918_11_16 _a.jpg www.ellisparkerbutler.info/epb/pic/v07/saturday_evening_post_1918_11_16 _a.jpg www.ellisparkerbutler.info/epb/pic/v07/saturday_evening_post_1918_11_16 _a.jpg  www.riverwalk.org/proglist/showpromo/1927_heart.htm www.riverwalk.org/proglist/showpromo/1927_heart.htm