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Autobiographical Elements in the Beautiful and the Damned

It is widely thought that all fiction that is great is autobiographical since writers compose more effectively when they are writing about the things that they are familiar with, or have experienced. More than the other fictional writers, Fitzgerald drew upon and borrowed most of his own experiences and feelings to compose his short stories and novels. In some of his best works, fictional elements make it possible for him to provide moral order and artistic form that life rarely gives; autobiographical elements invest in much of his work with a high quality, which most critics consider the most notable mark of his greatest works. Repeatedly the author emphasizes that his fiction originates from his experiences and feelings (Goldhurst 240- 540). This paper will take a biographical approach to analyze one of the works of this author, the Beautiful and the Damned, using the real life stories and experiences of the author and his life to analyze the life and experiences of the characters in the novel.

Some of the greatest autobiographical elements in notable in the author’s second novel, the Beautiful and the Damned, lie in his representation and portrayal of his marriage both strained and defined by the endless parties in the environs around New York City. Although more than once the author has pointed out that her mother was, actually, a better and admirable person than the major female character in the novel, Gloria Gilbert Patch, Zelda and her mother Gloria clearly share a character in being irresponsible, reckless, and selfish in their behavior. The other major character in the novel, Anthony Patch reflects the growing concern of the author in the 1920s that he was being pulled into a life of indulgence, just as some scholars like Richard Caramel illustrate the fear Fitzgerald had that he was putting in a bad light his reputation as a serious artist by producing and composing work that was apparently unimportant and popular. The cynical friend of the Patches, Mary Noble, who snubs Anthony later in the story, was probably based on a fried of the author known as George Jean Nathan, who was an influential magazine editor, as well as, a drama critic (Bruccoli and Baughman 343- 567).

Between May 1924 and October 1922, Fitzgerald and his wife rented a residential house in Long Island in a place called Great Neck, where they met and invited, and got invited to parties by numerous, rich people, many of whom worked in the show business. The author later met and became a close friend called Ring Lardner, who was also a writer in Long Island during one of these parties. Gloria and Anthony are the essence and the life of the Jazz Age life and glamour, just like the real couple, Zelda and Fitzgerald. A magnetic and brilliant couple, they throw themselves at life with an extraordinary energy that is exciting. New York is their playground and they drink, and dance for days on end. Their marriage is also passionate, they are alive, rich, young and lovely and they hope and expect to inherit the earth. However, as their wealth deteriorates, their marriage becomes difficult, and reality forces them to grow up (Bruccoli and Baughman 343- 567).

Only a few authors are able to transform autobiographical materials successfully into their novels or into any other form of literary art. The Beautiful and the Damned transforms the now widely known and familiar real stories of Scott and his wife Zelda’s marriage, their drunken nights, scandalous, public behavior, days darkened by debts and lack of money, into a captivating and exciting piece of fictional work. Anthony Patch, who is one of those people blessed with weaknesses and taste of an artist but with no inspiration for creativity, marries the flirtatious and beautiful Gloria. As they expect to inherit some money from the family of Anthony, they adopt a life style that surpasses their means. In recounting their decline, physically, morally, and financially, and showing a grim and twisted end to the story, the author created a poignant and satirical portrait of the era he and his work only could define (Goldhurst 240- 540).

These events narrated in the book clearly reflect the lives of the real life Zelda and Fitzgerald. When the author at some point moved to New York where he married Zelda. During this time, several sources have quoted the author saying that he recalls riding a cab up the fifth Avenue, rich, young, in love, and famous. He and his wife lived tragically, luxuriously and dissolutely just like the characters he uses in the novel. Just like the characters in the novel, the real characters in life lived extravagantly and soon they collected, huge debts and their downfall started here. It is clear from his autobiography that the author felt that his wife was wrong for him she flirted with men, was reckless, a spender and loved parties and drinking, and it is clear that Fitzgerald based the Character Gloria on his extravagant wife and the life she lived (Elias 245- 66).

In addition to the above, one can liken or compare Anthony’s drinking problems that increase towards the end of the novel probably because of troubles with money and his wife, with those of the real Fitzgerald, whose drinking problems also escalated in real life between the years of 1935 and 1937, as a result, of his huge debts and his wife’s sickness. The author also talks of a number of influential friends in the novel, most of who are in the show business. These include such people as Maury Noble, Anthony’s best friend, Richard Cramel, a novelist, Joseph Bloeckman who works in the show business, and Jewess Rachael. These characters are obviously based on the real life friends of Fitzgerald whom they used to party and drink with in their drunken nights, in New York (Elias 245- 66).

The author’s attitude towards the two characters Anthony and Gloria is in consisted, and probably is because of the autobiographical nature of most of the material he uses in the novel. Like the Patches, the life of Fitzgerald of drinking and parties are clear, and both the couples struggle with issues of money. The author judged himself through the depictions of both Dick Carmel and Anthony, and he bases part of the character of Gloria on Zelda. The connections are extremely deep- rooted between these two couples, and that is why most critics and commentators have argued that the novel is basically based on the real life stories of the writer Fitzgerald Scott and his wife. The novel explores many of the similar themes that he would later use in his other work, like the Great Gatsby. The novel deals with the complexities and the mysteries of marriage that the two faced in real life (Elias 245- 66).

Comparison of the real life Fitzgerald’s and the Patches

Fitzgerald’s Patches

Lived in new York where they lead an extravagant life They also lived in new York and led an extravagant life

Loved drinking and partying They also loved the night life

They ran into huge debt They also had a lot of debt

Fitzgerald later became an alcoholic Anthony also became dependent on alcohol

Work cited

Bruccoli, M. and Baughman, J. F. Scott Fitzgerald: A Life in Letters. New York: Scribners, 1994. Print.

Elias, Amy. ‘The Composition and Revision of Fitzgerald’s The Beautiful and the Damned’. Princeton University Library Chronicle 51 (1990): 245-66. Print.

Goldhurst, William. ‘H. L. Mencken. ‘In E. Scott Fitzgerald and His Contemporaries. New York: World, 1963. Print.