SCOTT FITZGERALD’S LIFE. The critic Terry Teachout changes his mind in this post and this post about Scott Fitzgerald’s life. In the first post, Teachout expresses what I have thought about the pain and degradation that Fitzgerald’s alcoholism brought him. In the second, a commenter points out that Fitzgerald remained kind and generous throughout his decline and that he continued to write honestly. The commenter changed my mind as well as Teachout’s with his praise for how Fitzgerald dealt with his demons. Fitzgerald’s kindness and generosity show in his writing. One of the things that makes GATSBY a great book is the wisdom of the narrative.
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Today in class Dr. Mangum read Hemingway’s recollection of first meeting Fitzgerald and it was amazingly insulting—he might as well have come out and called Fitzgerald a dandy fop. Still, there seemed to be a slight sense of some sort of respect present.
Also of interest was a replica of Fitzgerald’s ledger that was shown, in which he kept exhaustive notes of when he completed, revised, and sold stories, what he got paid, etc. Dr. Mangum commented that it’s amazing a writer who had such a messy life could have kept such a record.
But boy, did those guys do some heroic drinking!