Beautiful and the Damned

             "The victor belongs to the spoils" -Anthony Patch (p.188).
             "There is only one lesson to be learned from.
             life. That there's no lesson to be learned from life." .
             -Gloria Patch (p. l34).
             .
             F. Scott Fitzgerald began his second novel in l920. .
             It was published when he was just twenty-five years.
             old in l922. It moves from prewar days through the.
             First World War into the twenties. Fitzgerald first.
             called it The Flight of the Rocket and later renamed.
             it The Beautiful Lady Without Mercy. Finally it became.
             The Beautiful and Damned.
             In regards to the plot, in a technical way, The.
             Beautiful and Damned is orderly and easy to.
             understand. The material is divided into three books,.
             each with three chapters. Fitzgerald sticks to prose.
             narrative and dialogue for the most part, and he keeps.
             a consistent tone and point of view throughout the.
             novel. Fitzgerald tells a wonderful story and in this.
             novel, the story is quite easy to follow. In the.
             first book, the couple (Anthony and Gloria) meet and.
             fall in love. We are introduced to Adam Patch,.
             Anthony's philanthropist prohibitionist grandfather. .
             We meet Anthony's friends, Dick Caramel and Maury.
             Noble. In the second book, Gloria and Anthony get.
             married, live in the grey house, drink too much, lose.
             their inheritance, their love, and hope for the.
             future. The third book finds Anthony enlisted in boot.
             camp and having an affair with Dot. She is.
             reminiscent of many of Fitzgerald's women in later.
             novels. Dot is a Southern illiterate girl who is.
             stupid, earthy, uneducated, too easy to get in bed.
             and horribly in love with her man. Anthony is broke,.
             drunk, and is returning home from the war. Book.
             three portrays Gloria and Anthony who have totally.
             lost their youth, their dreams, and every last ounce.
             of love they had for each other. They are used up,.
             spent, and pathetic.