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The Great Gatsby

 

            When asked to review yet another summer literature selection, I prepared myself for a long, dull read. However, after finishing only a few pages of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, I was pleasantly surprised and I could not put the novel down. Fitzgerald is an amazing writer who, in my opinion, should be respected as one of the finest. F. Scott Fitzgerald, named after the late Francis Scott Key, was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota to ordinary parents. When he was only thirteen, his first work was published in the St. Paul Academy newspaper. Fitzgerald went on to write scripts and lyrics for the Princeton Triangle Club's musicals and contributed to the Tiger Humor and the Nassau Literary Magazines while attending Princeton University. But, because he found writing more interesting than studying, he was placed on academic probation and was unlikely to graduate. Knowing his options, he decided to join the army in 1917. .
             During the war, Fitzgerald wrote the Romantic Egotist which was rejected twice. He also fell in love and became engaged to Zelda Sayre, who left him due to his lack of success. Fitzgerald then returned home to write and This Side of Paradise was accepted in September, 1919. Before his new work was published, he wrote for The Saturday Evening Post to supplement his income. This Side of Paradise made twenty-four year old F. Scott Fitzgerald famous overnight when it was published in 1920. After marrying only one week after the publishing, Zelda and F. Scott settled in St. Paul and had a son named Scottie in 1921. .
             The family later moved to Great Neck Long Island so that Fitzgerald could be nearer to Broadway. While living there, he became an alcoholic and was characterized as an irresponsible writer. This was the basis for the family's move to France in 1924, where Fitzgerald wrote The Great Gatsby. Although it was not completely successful immediately, it is now accepted universally as a superb piece of literature with a lesson for everyone who reads it.


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