F. Scott Fitzgerald

Add a comment with your reflections on this author.

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

I was very happy with Fitzgerald as an author. Although I began reading thinking that I would have nothing to write about, the novels that I used for my paper eventually came together into a strong thesis. It was clear that Fitzgerald had an opinion, mainly on the rich, and that he was trying to convey a message through his novels. I thought that reading and finishing many of his works was a learning experience, and by the end I saw his point of view and agreed. I do not think that he is a particularly opinionated author. He simply states what he thinks and tries to help the reader understand his argument. I think that he posed a good argument on the rich society and their lifestyle. One thing I disliked about his writing was that because he writes about the rich, the subjects of his novels and the personality of characters from book to book remains the same. I recommend Fitzgerald to someone who is looking to learn from their author as well as be interested in his topics and opinions.

Anonymous said...

“He had come such a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close he could hardly fail to grasp it. But what he did not know was that it was already behind him, somewhere in the vast obscurity beyond the city" (Great Gatsby).

F. Scott Fitzgerald stands as the romantic, tragic figure in American literature; although he debuted with a wildly successful novel, his life took a bleak turn, and he died young—bitter, disappointed, and forgotten. Fitzgerald’s writings closely mirror his own life for they often explore the human struggle between hope and disillusionment.

Because his use of language is neither scholarly nor dense—to the point of being simple—one may not understand at first glance why so much praise has been heaped upon Fitzgerald. However, there’s something more to his works than mere words—that there’s this unquantifiable, heartbreaking soul behind each of his writings. His lyrical novels truly breathe and resonate.

I absolutely loved Fitzgerald’s tales, especially his short stories and the indelible Great Gatsby. Although I found his later novels, such as Tender is the Night and The Last Tycoon, a bit dull and too theme-driven, I definitely think that Fitzgerald is one of those few authors whose appeal is universal.

Anonymous said...

I was overall pleased with Fitzgerald. His novels at first are somewhat boring and remain the same throughout all three of the novels that I read. Although this made it boring this made it easy for me to write a paper and to come up with a "so what" thesis. His style of writing was interesting to read and his opinions on certain subjects made me want to continue reading. One thing that I enjoyed was his descriptions of the plot and the other characters. I feel as though his topics of his novels were simply dull at times only because they were about the rich and how they lived. However one aspect of this became daunting to me. This was that the rich have consequences for their actions even if they have money. I would recommend Fitzgerald to someone who is interested in the 1930's and how the rich live and how their actions ultimately bring them problems.

Anonymous said...

For the most part I really like Fitzgerald's novels. After reading The Great Gatsby in class, I soon realized that Fitzgerald was the author I wanted to do my essay on. In all of the novels I read by Fitzgerald, he highlights the live of the rich, upper class in the 1920s . As I began reading I soon realized that most of Fitzgerald's novels were conveying a message about the struggles of the upper class. One thing that did make the reading a little hard was from book to book the character personalities and themes remain the same. Although as I started reading the books, I was a bit unsure of what I was going to write about, I soon realized that Fitzgerald conveys a great message that most people would not know. If you enjoy reading about how the upper class lives and their struggles, or if you like the roaring 1920s then I suggest Fitzgerald as your author.

Adam (Rose) said...

F Scott Fitzgerald is a great author choice for your American Author Thesis due to the flowing of his novels. Fitzgerald's novels keep a person's attention, allowing them to pick up on themes and general ideas much more easily. His novels and short stories link easily and his overarching ideas are easy to find. While his characters can often be difficult to relate to based on their backgrounds, their dreams are often very similar to one's own. Something I did dislike however was his excessive descriptions. They could sometimes be great for quotes, but are often just words. Overall Fitzgerald will provide you with a very positive experience with you author thesis.

Dylan (Rose) said...

I chose my author because I read up about him and thought the themes of his novels were very interesting. I read Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise and a number of short stories. All of his works criticize the wealthy and the lifestyle they have. Although the novels differ, it is very easy to find similarities throughout his works because the themes are for the most part the same. Fitzgerald's novels are not too hard reading wise. Each is around 300 pages long and he only wrote 3 whole novels. The only downside is that his novels may get a bit repetitive and some of the language is hard to understand considering the novels were written in the 1920's and 30's. Overall I really enjoyed reading F. Scott Fitzgerald and would suggest others to read his novels also.

Tiffany (Brown) said...

After studying F. Scott Fitzgerald for my author thesis, he is now one of my favorite authors. Fitzgerald focuses on the lives of the rich and elite, acting as the 1920’s version of the TV show, Gossip Girl. Mainly, he highlights how wealth leads to the corruption of Americans. They become so wrapped up in achieving wealth, what they believe to be the American Dream that they begin to lose themselves as a result. Although his novels contain similar plot lines, he never fails to capture his reader’s attention. Fitzgerald would be a good choice for anyone because while his works are challenging, they are also amusing and interesting, and with his use of universal themes, anyone can connect to the stories. So, if you’re a person who thoroughly enjoys the characters of the roaring twenties, I strongly recommend choosing F. Scott Fitzgerald for an author.

Ryan (Brown) said...

First of all, besides the Great Gatsby (which you are not allowed to use for author thesis), Fitzgerald only wrote 4 books (one of which is unfinished ;) ) and you get to read short stories which are always fun. But author thesis is no fun if your author isn’t good. Lucky for you, Fitzgerald has many clear, and sometimes obvious patterns in his writing that you take in many directions. This balance between consistency and variety in patterns throughout his books gives your writing a sense of both freedom and direction. He is pretty cynical about life and writes a lot about the destruction of love, use of alcohol, dreams and youth. His very distinct style makes his books fun to read. The Great Gatsby is a wonderful example of this style as Gatsby constantly tries to achieve his youthful dream of Daisy from his past by throwing huge parties during prohibition. While Fitzgerald’s other works are less well known, I found they were all like reading Gatsby, just with different names for their characters and different endings to the stories.

Ryan (Brown) said...


First of all, besides the Great Gatsby (which you are not allowed to use for author thesis), Fitzgerald only wrote 4 books (one of which is unfinished ;) ) and you get to read short stories which are always fun. But author thesis is no fun if your author isn’t good. Lucky for you, Fitzgerald has many clear, and sometimes obvious patterns in his writing that you take in many directions. This balance between consistency and variety in patterns throughout his books gives your writing a sense of both freedom and direction. He is pretty cynical about life and writes a lot about the destruction of love, use of alcohol, dreams and youth. His very distinct style makes his books fun to read. The Great Gatsby is a wonderful example of this style as Gatsby constantly tries to achieve his youthful dream of Daisy from his past by throwing huge parties during prohibition. While Fitzgerald’s other works are less well known, I found they were all like reading Gatsby, just with different names for their characters and different endings to the stories.

Josephina (Brown) said...

I loved reading F. Scott Fitzgerald’s works and writing about them as well. Although many of his plots are pessimistic, his writing style—descriptive and flowing—is enjoyable. For instance, in Tender is the Night, he describes a young girl with “magic in her pink palms and her cheeks lit to a lovely flame, like the thrilling flush of children after their cold baths in the evening” (Tender is the Night).
In addition, I found that cynical plots actually added to the appeal of his writing; Fitzgerald creates complex characters with tragic characteristics but also characters that he celebrates. His messages about grandeur and the Roaring Twenties relate to modern day America as well.
For my author thesis, I read all his novels and over forty short stories as well as other works. I think anyone can relate to his characters such as their hardships, their realizations, and their relationships. Readers can find connections to Fitzgerald’s message about the pursuit of dreams as well. I would recommend reading The Great Gatsby, one of his most famous novels, and as many short stories as possible because they demonstrate his variety as an author and his themes. One of my favorites novels is The Last Tycoon.
Overall, I would highly recommend F. Scott Fitzgerald for author thesis! Hope this helps!

Victoria Yordanova said...

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an amazing author to write about. His books caught my attention because of the beautiful way he writes them. Even though his writing style is different from the modern American writer, after reading two of his books the style is easy to get used to and even enjoyable to read because it is unique. The books that I read where The Love of the Last Tycoon, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers as well as The Curious Case of Ben Button. I would most differently recommend my author to others because he has a common theme that is evident through all his books and can be discussed easily even if it is a short story. He is not the author for anyone who DOES NOT like romance.

Victoria Yordanova said...

F. Scott Fitzgerald was an amazing author to write about. His books caught my attention because of the beautiful way he writes them. Even though his writing style is different from the modern American writer, after reading two of his books the style is easy to get used to and even enjoyable to read because it is unique. The books that I read where The Love of the Last Tycoon, The Beautiful and Damned, Tender is the Night, This Side of Paradise, Flappers and Philosophers as well as The Curious Case of Ben Button. I would most differently recommend my author to others because he has a common theme that is evident through all his books and can be discussed easily even if it is a short story. He is not the author for anyone who DOES NOT like romance.

Emily-Claire Nemmers said...

I really enjoyed my author: F. Scott Fitzgerald. I had previously read his book, The Great Gatsby. This is my favorite book and I began to love his style of writing. I had also read authors like Hemingway and compared to Fitzgerald his sentences were short and choppy. Fitzgerald on the other hand had beautiful sentences that had an art to them and I enjoyed reading every sentence. I think, in selecting an author, chose one that you enjoy their writing style and the topics of these books. The books you select should be ones that you want to read, because you will be reading and writing about them for months. Personally, I thought it was helpful to have previously read one book or short story by your possible to just make sure you like the way they write.

Anonymous said...

I chose the author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, because this year for the English curriculum we read The Great Gatsby and I enjoyed his writing style and his thematic concept in the novel. Reading his work for Author Thesis I realized that he used similar themes for each novel and elaborated on them differently. I would recommend reading his works for Author Thesis if one enjoys similar themes that occurred throughout the 1920’s: love, greed, and power. Even though I enjoyed reading Fitzgerald for my author, many aspects of the novels seemed repetitive and very similar. If one enjoys reading different storylines and non-related plots throughout the novels, I would not recommend F. Scott Fitzgerald. Overall reading Fitzgerald taught me valuable life lessons about being successful that everyone can apply to their own lives. I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to read and learn from the morals that Fitzgerald writes about.

American Author Thesis

Now that you have written your essay, we ask that you reflect on the reading portion of the experience and write 100-150 words about your author.

Think of what you write as advice for someone next year and beyond, someone who (like you were doing last fall) is thinking about choosing your author - and maybe even the same three books - to read for the assignment.