Titles In The Set:
1. The Great Gatsby
2. Flappers and Philosophers
3. The Beautiful and Damned
4. Tender is the Night
5. This Side of Paradise
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age
Description:
The Great Gatsby
In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars:
Set in the Roaring Twenties, F. Scott Fitzgerald's masterpiece is about the American Dream - and all - the contradictions that come with it. The Great Gatsby is the story of the young millionaire Jay Gatsby and his love for the gorgeous former debutante Daisy Buchanan. Theirs is a world full of glitz and decadence, through which Fitzgerald explores themes of hedonism and individualism, idealism and morality.
At once an optimistic ode to the American spirit and a biting indictment of the snares of the American Dream, The Great Gatsby captures succinctly the essence of the Jazz Age.
Flappers and Philosophers
A collection of previously published eight short stories by F. Scott Fitzgerald found a home together under one title, Flappers and Philosopher, in 1920. It is a showcase of Fitzgerald's craft in capturing the myriad essences of youth. It takes us through the different aspects of the American lifestyle like the North-South divide and the theme of social mobility.
Through these stories, he portrays a wide range of subject matter and characters. What makes these stories more interesting are their ironic twists at the end.
The book is even more interesting as it is believed that the author drew heavily from his own life to bring the stories alive.
The Beautiful and Damned
The Beautiful and Damned is the story of Harvard-educated, aspiring aesthete Anthony Patch and his beautiful wife,
ƒ?½ Gloria Gilbert, a narcissistic dancer.
E. Scott Fitzgerald captures the essence of the nouveau riche, decadent indulgence of the couple as they recklessly indulge in alcohol and avarice, living beyond their means blowing away their money in the New York nightlife and the parties they throw.
As Antony awaits his grandfather's inheritance, neither of them work, but dig into whatever money Antony has inherited from his mother. renting out a country house and an expensive apartment in New York.
As the money diminishes and the grandfather cuts them off from his inheritance, as he unexpectedly drops in one of their wild parties, life takes a turn and everything takes a downhill plunge.
Will they manage to get the inheritance? Will their love survive the hardships?
Tender is the Night
Dick Diver, a brilliant young psychiatrist marries his patient Nicole, a bewitching, wealthy and dangerously unstable patient, who borders between sanity and madness..
The couple lead a life of luxury, entertaining friends at a villa on the Riviera. Rosemary Hoyt - on vacation at the Riviera - meets and befriends the couple, getting into. a complicated relationship with them, as she develops a strong infatuation for Dick that later progresses into a more serious relationship between them.
The book is an account of a caring man, Dick; who gradually disintegrates into an alcoholic, under the twin strains of taking care of a deranged wife and a lifestyle that he is forced into despite his sense of moral values.
This Side of Paradise
This Side of Paradise published in 1920 was the first novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The novel draws heavily from the author's own experiences. It is set against the backdrop of New York and Princeton city. This novel tells us the story of Amory Blaine from his childhood to his youth.
From his birth, Amory is pampered and spoiled by his rich mother Beatrice. As he grows up he develops false self-esteem and a very superficial knowledge of the world. But when he leaves home and ventures into the ruthless world all by himself he realizes that reality is far more different from what he has learnt from his surroundings all these years. Although he is lazy he manages to get into the prestigious Princeton University for higher studies. Here he fails once and this takes him down the lanes of despair. Post this he joins World War I and luckily returns alive. Now he wants to find out the true purpose of life and gets some solace when he teams up with a girl named Rosalind. However, their affair is short-lived as Rosalind dumps
Amory for a richer prospect.
What more does life have in store for Amory? Will he find true love?
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Other Tales of the Jazz Age
Tales of the Jazz Age is an anthology of short stories and novellas, by F Scott Fitzgerald first published in 1922. This series was divided into three sections, "My Last Flappers", "Fantasies" and "Unclassified Masterpieces."
Scott is known for his writing about the Art Deco design in the 1920s America, where he used jazz as the unifying metaphor, capturing the golden age of the period.
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is a fantasy story where
Benjamin Button is born old, but grows younger with time.
In, "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz", Scott shows the extent the rich are willing to go to preserve their wealth.
"The Lees of Happiness", "Mr Icky" and "Jemina" show life in the throes of vanity and all that jazz, with song, wine and dance.
"May Day" is a take on social and political issues of the day:
Other short stories included are: "Porcelain and Pink",
"Tarquin of Cheapside", "The Camel's Back", *The Jelly-Bean' and "Oh Russet Witch"!
