The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald

By Alyssa Nilsson And Sam Cleary

F. Scott Fitzgerald

Childhood and Education

F. Scott Fitzgerald: Early Life

Born September 24, 1896 Born in St. Paul, Minnesota to a upper

class Roman Catholic family Father Edward Fitzgerald was a

businessman, and his mother Mary was an Irish heiress

Attended Princeton University, and wrote for the Princeton Triangle Club

Early Life /cont’d

Struggled with grades at Princeton Couldn’t achieve his dream of playing

football due to his height of 5’7” Fell in love with a debutante Ginevra King Began to party and began his alcoholism

that would be present throughout his entire life.

Continued to write plays and literature Befriended writer John Peale and critic

Edmund Wilson

F. Scott Fitzgerald

War and Romance

Fitzgerald left Princeton to enlist in the military at the start of World War I

Became a second lieutenant in the infantry

Stationed near Montgomery, Alabama, where Fitzgerald met and fell in love with Zelda Sayre, his eventual wife

After being discharged when the war ended, Fitzgerald tried working business in New York in order to earn Zelda’s hand in marriage.

The couple was engaged in 1919, and after Fitzgerald failed to prove he could be a financial provider, Zelda called off the engagement

Fitzgerald returned to his parents house in Minnesota, where he continued working on his first novel

This Side of Paradise was published by Charles Scribner on March 26, 1920

Zelda and Fitzgerald married later that year in New York City

Zelda Sayer Fitzgerald

Born July 1900 in Montgomery Alabama Born the youngest of six children to a

judge. Zelda was flamboyant, ambitious,

beautiful, and talented since her childhood.

Known as, “The first American Flapper” Zelda danced and took ballet

throughout her lifetime

Zelda’s promiscuity was well-known, and she had a thrill for capturing attention.

Her marriage to Fitzgerald was fast-paced, and was filled with partying and fun.

Zelda never became domesticated when she had her only daughter, and never took interest in being a mother. “Scottie” was shipped off to relatives and looked after by a nanny.

Zelda published her own novel titled Save Me the Waltz

This infuriated Fitzgerald for the novel contained material that he was using for his story Tender Is The Night

The novel was overall unsuccessful, only selling 1,392 copies and was harshly criticized

For the remaining years of Zelda’s life, she spent her days in a hospital bed and in and out of sanatoriums.

Some of her best artwork was created during her mentally unstable times.

Zelda became violent and reclusive, making her hospital stays for longer time periods.

Zelda drifted away from her husband emotionally, for her illness caused much tension in the marriage.

After the couple took a trip to Cuba, Scott returned home to America when he was beaten from a cockfight. The couple never saw each other again.

Zelda did not attend Fitzgerald’s funeral

She began to work on a new novel, Caesar’s Things, where she returned to Highland Hospital

On March 10, 1948 the hospital caught on fire, killing Zelda and nine other women.

Zelda’s artwork

F. Scott Fitzgerald and ZeldaThe marriage and mid-life

The Happy Couple

The two traveled extravagantly in Europe after they married

They moved constantly, living in New York City, France, St. Paul and Montgomery

The only child, Frances Scott Fitzgerald was born on October 26, 1921

The Happy Family

Fitzgerald wrote short stories for magazines, while writing his novels

He wrote for The Saturday Evening Post, Collier’s Weekly, and Esquire

Fitzgerald also entered the movie industry, selling his rights of publication to Hollywood

Publications

Published four novels during lifetime:› This Side of Paradise› The Beautiful and the Damned› Tender Is the Night› The Great Gatsby› The Love of the Last Tycoon was published

posthumously

F. Scott Fitzgerald and ZeldaDeath, illness, and downfall

After miserably working in Hollywood, Fitzgerald began to obtain debt

Zelda’s mental health deteriorated, and was hospitalized for her schizophrenia

Fitzgerald countered these problems with intensified drinking

Fitzgerald suffered two heart attacks in 1940

The second heart attack was fatal, causing Fitzgerald’s death on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood, California

Fitzgerald was buried with Zelda in Rockville, Maryland

Commentary

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_g-0u1wfNc

Works Cited

"A Brief Life of Fitzgerald." University of South Carolina. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/biography.html>.

"Facts About Fitzgerald." University of South Carolina. 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. <http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/facts/facts1.html>.

"Fitzgerald." Facts On File Online Databases. Bloom's Literery Reference Online, 31 Mar. 2010. Web. 08 Apr. 2010. <http://fofweb.com/activelink2.asp?ItemID=WE54&SID=&iPin=EAmL1051&SingleRecord=True>.