Fitzgerald's essays are remarkable in their perspective and depth. In "Echoes of the Jazz Age," published in 1931, he analyzes the culture of the 1920s and how everything from media to financial success affected behavior. In "My Lost City," published in 1932, Fitzgerald tells the tale of falling in and out of love with New York City over the years. One of my favorite parts -
"As the ship glided up the river, the city burst thunderously upon us in the early dusk - the white glacier of lower New York swooping down like a strand of a bridge to rise into uptown New York, a miracle of foamy light suspended by the stars. A band started to play on deck, but the majesty of the city made the march trivial and tinkling. From that moment I knew that New York, however often I might leave it, was home."I love this passage because of its connection to ordinary fiction. The imagery in this piece could make anyone see what he saw that day. This is also why I love all of Fitzgerald's nonfiction - he still treats the subject matter as a story that needs to be told to the reader, which helps us connect with his words the same way we would with his novels.
The excerpt really illustrates your point about how nonfiction can use the conventions of fiction. Also, given that Fitzgerald was most famous for his fiction, this sort of thing can serve as literary criticism or as a window to his fiction.
ReplyDeleteJust read his short story Dalirymple Goes Wrong. His essays are the only genre I haven't delved into yet--I don't know whether to be grateful for the expansion of my reading list! ;) (Hint: I am.)
ReplyDeleteI think that you've convinced me to take up this book through your post! I am also a Fitzgerald fan, and when you talked about the intersections between fiction and nonfiction (as illustrated behind the excerpt, which I feel shows how authors form the basis of their works of fiction through real life experiences) I thought, what better way to understand Fitzgerald's works better than taking a peak at his inspirations?
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