Francis Scott Fitzgerald

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Francis Scott Fitzgerald

Thesis: Francis S. Fitzgerald was a talented writer; his only flaw was that he liked the

combination of alcohol and the night life.

One of the most widely recognized writers of the 1920’s and 1930’s was Francis

Scott Fitzgerald (Beebe 339). He followed his dreams of being a writer, until he finally

succeeded. Francis Scott Fitzgerald was a talented writer; his only flaw was that he liked the combination of alcohol and the nightlife (Coale 190). He spent his life writing and trying to be happy with his wife, Zelda Sayre. His life served as a resource for his novels. Perhaps writing about his life helped him deal with his grief.

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

(Coale 190). Francis Scott was the only child of Edward Fitzgerald and Mary Mollie

McQuillan (Beebe 339). Fitzgerald was named after a distant member of his father’s

family (Beebe 339), who happened to be the author of “The Star Spangled Banner”

(Bruccoli xix).

Edward Fitzgerald was the father of Francis S. Fitzgerald. Edward’s business, the production of wicker furniture in St. Paul, Minnesota, failed. (Bruccoli xix). Due to this, his family moved to Buffalo, New York, in 1908 (Bruccoli xix). In New York he became a salesman for Procter & Gamble; in 1908 he was dismissed (Bruccoli xix). After his dismissal they returned to St. Paul and moved in with Mary Mollie McQuillan’s mother

(Bruccoli xix). Her mother was an Irish immigrant who became wealthy as a wholesaler

grocer in St. Paul, Minnesota (Bruccoli xix).

When the family finally decided to stay in St. Paul, Minnesota, was when

Fitzgerald was encouraged to study at the St. Paul Academy (Beebe 339). From 1911 to

191...

... middle of paper ...

... characters of Dick Diver and Nicole Diver somehow resemble Fitzgerald and Zelda Sayre. Dick Diver resembles Fitzgerald by being young and talented. Nicole Diver resembles Zelda Sayre by both being the force that held them back.

Bibliography:

Works Cited

Beebe, Maurice. “Francis Scott Fitzgerald”.

Encyclopedia Americana. Deluxe Library

Ed. 1996.

Bruccoli, Matthew J., and Judith Baughman. A Life

in Letters: F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York.

Simon & Schuster Inc. 1994.

Coale, Samuel Chase. “Francis Scott Fitzgerald”.

The World Book Encyclopedia. Scott Fetzer

Company, 1996.

Eble, Kenneth. F. Scott Fitzgerald. New York.

Twayne Publishers Inc, 1963.

Meyers, Jeffrey. Scott Fitzgerald: A Biography.

New York. Harper Collins Publishers Inc,

1994.

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