F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Post-Modern Celebrity

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F. Scott Fitzgerald: The Post-Modern Celebrity

Following World War I, there was a shift in society’s attitude toward life. Both males and females had their styles of living affected by World War I. The women demanded their right to vote and began wearing shorter dresses, adopting the name of Flappers. As for the men, they became bootleggers in response to Prohibition making alcohol illegal. At the helm of this time period which he would coin the “Jazz Age” was one man: Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald would become one of the prominent and memorable literary figures of the twentieth century. F. Scott Fitzgerald would be the epitome of the high profile lifestyle that defined the Roaring Twenties. Fitzgerald

Early Years:

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in St. Paul, Minnesota. His parents were Edward Fitzgerald and Mary “Mollie” McQuillan. Both of his parents were devout Catholics. Edward’s family were originally from Maryland, but settled in St. Paul following the Civil War. Mollie’s family emigrated from Ireland to St. Paul, eventually becoming wealthy as grocery merchants. Prior to the birth of Scott, Edward and Mollie had attempted at having children two other times. The other children died in infancy. As a result, the Fitzgeralds were cautious when Scott was born.

Fitzgerald's name came from his distant relative, Francis Scott Key, who wrote the national anthem of the United States. By giving him this name, his parents were proud of their family ties. In fact, Fitzgerald was often seen as "nationalistic" (Fitzgerald). Edward Fitzgerald had attempted to manufacture furniture in St. Paul, but was not successful. As a result, he and his family moved to Buffalo, New York where he was a salesman for Proc...

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...contract allowed him to pay off his debt, but it did not allow for Fitzgerald to save. Whenever he traveled to the east coast to visit his wife, it would end in disaster. While in Hollywood, Fitzgerald met a woman by the name of Sheilah Graham. She would provide help for Fitzgerald. In 1938, MGM Studios let go of Fitzgerald. In order to support himself, he began to write freelance scripts and writing short stories for Esquire magazine. He began to work on what would be his final novel in 1939. However, he would never finish that final novel. Fitzgerald had only a draft completed, when he suffered a heart attack. He died from his heart attack on December 21, 1940. Fitzgerald, being pessimistic, died believing that his life was a failure.

A decade passed, but Fitzgerald did not fade away. His works were being reevaluated. It was considered a resurrection of his work.

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