The Great Gatsby | Author Biography | F. Scott Fitzgerald

Summary

The transcript outlines the life and career of F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby. Born in 1896 in Minnesota, Fitzgerald experienced a privileged yet socially constrained upbringing. He pursued an Ivy League education, served in the army, and moved to New York City, where he fell in love with Zelda Sayre. Their marriage followed his literary success with This Side of Paradise. Fitzgerald and Zelda enjoyed a glamorous but turbulent lifestyle, marked by parties, travel, and struggles with alcoholism and depression. Many elements of his personal life are reflected in The Great Gatsby, which initially sold poorly but has since become a literary classic, now selling hundreds of thousands of copies annually.

Takeaways

• 😀 Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota, had a privileged but challenging upbringing due to his father's business failures.
• 😀 His mother's substantial inheritance provided Fitzgerald with opportunities to socialize with the elite but didn't grant him full acceptance into the highest social circles.
• 😀 Fitzgerald left Minnesota to attend Princeton and later joined the army before moving to New York City to pursue his writing career.
• 😀 At the age of 22, Fitzgerald fell in love with Zelda Sayre, but she refused to marry him until he achieved wealth and success.
• 😀 Fitzgerald’s first novel, *This Side of Paradise* (1920), made him financially successful, allowing him to marry Zelda.
• 😀 Fitzgerald and Zelda led a glamorous lifestyle filled with lavish parties, heavy drinking, and frequent travels, but it came at a cost.
• 😀 He struggled with alcoholism and depression, which significantly affected his career and health.
• 😀 Fitzgerald died on December 21, 1940, from a heart attack at the age of 44, largely forgotten by the public at the time.
• 😀 *The Great Gatsby* was initially met with poor reviews and limited sales upon its release, reflecting the lack of recognition Fitzgerald received in his lifetime.
• 😀 In 1944, during World War II, the U.S. distributed copies of *The Great Gatsby* to soldiers to boost morale, with 120 copies sold by that time.
• 😀 Today, *The Great Gatsby* is one of the most popular American novels, regularly selling 500,000 copies each year.

Q & A

Who is the author of The Great Gatsby?

The author of The Great Gatsby is Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald.

When and where was F. Scott Fitzgerald born?

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24th, 1896, in St. Paul, Minnesota.

How did Fitzgerald's family background influence his early life?

Fitzgerald's father was an unsuccessful businessman, so the family relied on his mother's sizable inheritance, which allowed him to interact with the social elite in his hometown but not fully join the highest social class.

Which university did Fitzgerald attend and what notable steps did he take in his early career?

Fitzgerald attended Princeton University, joined the army, and later moved to New York City to pursue his writing career.

Who was Zelda S., and how did she influence Fitzgerald's personal life?

Zelda S. was a socialite whom Fitzgerald fell in love with at age 22. She refused to marry him until he became successful, which motivated him to publish his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920.

What lifestyle did Fitzgerald and Zelda lead after his literary success?

They enjoyed celebrity status with lavish parties, heavy drinking, and extensive travel, which also contributed to Fitzgerald's struggles with alcoholism and depression.

How did Fitzgerald's personal struggles affect his life and career?

His alcoholism and depression created havoc for his career and health, ultimately contributing to the heart attack that killed him at age 44.

How is Fitzgerald's life reflected in The Great Gatsby?

Many aspects of his life, such as character traits, settings, conflicts, and social ambitions, are mirrored in the novel.

How was The Great Gatsby initially received by critics and readers?

When first released, it received mediocre reviews and sold poorly.

How did the popularity of The Great Gatsby change over time?

By the time of Fitzgerald's death, he was largely forgotten. During WWII, copies were distributed to soldiers, and today the book sells approximately 500,000 copies per year.

What role did the US government play in spreading The Great Gatsby during WWII?

They gave copies of the book to soldiers to improve morale.