F Scott Fitzgerald Research Paper

525 Words3 Pages

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life exemplified the double-edged sword known as the American Dream. He experienced its joys of young love, wealth and success but also fell victim to the tragedies of failure, irresponsibility and unforeseen complications (Willet). Originally named Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald, after a distant cousin who wrote the lyrics to the United States’ national anthem, this aspiring writer longed to make a name for himself as a well-known author. As soon as Fitzgerald’s detective stories were published in his school, Saint Paul Academy, newspaper, he fervently focused on and pursued writing, instead of school work (Willett). During his time at a prep-school in New Jersey, F. Scott Fitzgerald met Father Sigourney Fay, who highly encouraged Fitzgerald’s aspiration to become a successful novelist (Willett). …show more content…

Unfortunately, writing took priority over his coursework, again. During this stage in his life, F. Scott Fitzgerald befriended Edmund Wilson, future critic and enthusiastic support, as well as John Peale Bishop, American poet and confidant, who would write an elegy on Fitzgerald’s death (Bruccoli). However, after being placed on academic probation, Fitzgerald decided to drop out of Princeton and joined the army in 1917, eventually earning the rank of second lieutenant in the infantry. While in the army and convinced he would die, Fitzgerald hurriedly wrote the novel, The Romantic Egotist (Bruccoli). A letter of rejection from Charles Scribner’s Sons caused Fitzgerald to develop a distinct writing style that entailed constant revision, but their praise of his originality thoroughly encouraged Fitzgerald to continue