A Student's Guide to F. Scott Fitzgerald (Understanding Literature)

Weisbrod, Eva

ISBN 10: 0766022021 ISBN 13: 9780766022027

Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc, 2004

Synopsis

An examination of the life and work of American author F. Scott Fitzgerald, whose novel, "The Great Gatsby," is often called "The Great American Novel."

About this title

From Booklist

Gr. 9-12. Part biography, part reader's companion, this solid entry in the new Understanding Literature series will attract slackers looking for crib notes as well as researchers interested in a colorful figure of the Jazz Age. Following an overview of Fitzgerald's childhood, subsequent chapters summarize and discuss each of his major works (and several short stories) in turn, then explain how the events of his life-his wife's mental illness, his own alcoholism--may have influenced his writing. Although occasionally lacking source notes, the biographical details rest comfortably alongside the purely literary readings of the text; the author draws readers' attention both to the beauty of Fitzgerald's prose and to his common themes. Predictably The Great Gatsby receives the most elaborate analysis. The back matter is copious, but readers will probably need a dictionary because of the sharply limited glossary. The terms it does include, though, like roman a clef and alliteration (also defined in sidebars), reinforce the basic vocabulary of literary analysis. Clear black-and-white photos lend immediacy to this humanizing portrait. REVWR
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Edition details

• Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0766022021
• ISBN 13: 9780766022027
• Binding: Library Binding
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 160