F. Scott Fitzgerald

Early Life

• Born September 24, 1896 in Minnesota
• Middle-class, Catholic upbringing
• Dropped out of Princeton to join Army for WWI

Zelda

• Met in 1918 stationed in Alabama
• She broke engagement in 1919 because he wasn't wealthy
• Married one week following publication of This Side of Paradise in 1920

Marriage

• Very turbulent relationship
• Scott was alcoholic, and Zelda struggled with mental illness
• Multiple affairs

Scottie

• Named after her father
• Sent away at 14, raised by another family
• Still doted on by father

Writing

• Best known works include This Side of Paradise, The Great Gatsby, Tender is the Night, and The Last Tycoon

Influences

• Jazz age
• Independent women
• Zelda
• Wealth
• The American Dream
• Hollywood
• Own life

Death

• Died in 1940 from a heart attack
• Considered self a failure
• Works only appreciated after death

Sources

• http://library.sc.edu/spcoll/fitzgerald/biography.html
• http://www.nytimes.com/1996/12/01/magazine/how-crazy-was-zelda.html?pagewan...
• http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html