This Side of Paradise
ISBN13: 9780199546213ISBN10: 0199546215
Paperback,
304 pages
Nov 2009,
In Stock
Price:
$12.95 (11)See more from the series
Description
F. Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise , made him instantly famous, and prefigured the themes and characters in later works such as The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night . A thinly disguised account of Fitzgerald's own Princeton years, the novel's frank description of the main character's love affairs shocked and delighted its first readers, and the book was an immediate success.The book recounts the story of Amory Blaine as he grows from pampered childhood to young adulthood, and learns to know himself better. At Princeton he becomes a literary aesthete and makes friends with other aspiring writers. As he moves out into the world and tries to find his true direction he falls in love with a succession of beautiful young women. Youthful exuberance and immaturity give way to disillusion and disappointment as Amory confronts the realities of life.
Jackson R. Bryer's introduction establishes the novel as an important work in its own right, highlighting its enduring strengths for the modern reader, examining the book's interesting composition history, and exploring its initial reception in 1920. In addition, this edition features an up-to-date bibliography of primary and secondary sources and critical material, a chronology of the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald, and explanatory notes that provide context for references and allusions.
Brilliant and original in style and structure, This Side of Paradise was a spectacular launching pad for Fitzgerald's career, and stamped him as the bard of the Jazz Age.
Features
- F.Scott Fitzgerald's first novel, This Side of Paradise , a thinly disguised fictional account of his Princeton years, made him instantly famous, and prefigured the themes and characters in later works such as The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night .
- Jackson R. Bryer's introduction establishes the novel as an important work in its own right, and analyses its enduring strengths for the modern reader; it considers the book's interesting composition history and its initial reception in 1920.
- Up-to-date bibliography of primary and secondary sources and critical material.
- Chronology of the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald.
- Explanatory notes provide context for references and allusions.
About the Author(s)
Jackson R. Bryer is Professor Emeritus, Department of English, University of Maryland. He has published widely on F. Scott Fitzgerald, including an edition of the love letters of F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald (Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda , St Martin's Press/ Bloomsbury 2002), and has been President of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society since 1990. His most recent book is The Selected Letters of Thornton Wilder (HarperCollins, 2008).
