One of the greatest American writers of our time, F. Scott Fitzgerald lived a colorful life in the Roaring Twenties. The type of lifestyle he lived is reflected in many of his works, including the most popular, The Great Gatsby. However, “his colorful life”, as a typical American’s in the 1920s was increasingly bumpy, and involved a whirlwind of mistakes. These events hampered his image, and it was only after his death that his writing was regarded with serious attention. F. Scott Fitzgerald's life is an example of both sides of the American Dream which include the joyous experience of young love, wealth and success, and the challenges associated with excess and failure. In 1896, Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 24. He got his name from his cousin, Francis Scott Key, wrote the "Star Spangled Banner". But even at a young age, Fitzgerald was very bright and when …show more content…
But before that point, starting “in 1920 and continuing throughout the rest of his career, Fitzgerald supported himself financially by writing great numbers of short stories for popular publications such as The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire” (Biography.com Editors). Two years later, his second novel The Beautiful and Damned, “helped to cement his status as one of the great chroniclers and satirists of the culture of wealth, extravagance and ambition that emerged during the affluent 1920s, what became known as the Jazz Age” (Biography.com Editors). And finally, two years after that, the Fitzgerald family moved to France and there, Fitzgerald “wrote what would be credited as his greatest novel, The Great Gatsby” (Biography.com Editors). During this time period, Zelda and Fitzgerald lived a lavish, but reckless life. They both didn’t take their marriage seriously, and for Fitzgerald, this playboy image took a toll on how his writing was