4. Family
His maternal grandfather, Phillip McQuillan, was
one of St. Paul’s wealthiest businessmen
His father, Edward Fitzgerald, failed
as a wicker salesman, and the family
moved to New York until Scott was
12, at which point they lived off his
mother, Mollie’s, inheritance.
5. Summit Avenue
The most fashionable street in St. Paul
Populated by the rich and their grand homes
Influential in Fitzgerald’s perception of wealth
James J. Hill house on
Summit Avenue
7. Frequent moves for the Fitzgeralds
Over a span of three years, the Fitzgeralds lived in
three different homes on Holly Avenue, several
blocks from Summit Avenue
8.
9. St. Paul’s Academy 1908-1911
While attending this
preparatory school,
Scott published his
first story in the
school magazine—a
detective tale. He
later published
three more stories
and wrote four
plays.
His grades were not
impressive, in part
because he had poor
study habits and
was more interested
in extra-curricular
activities.
10.
11. Early Social Life
One of Scott’s long-standing
friends was Marie Hersey,
whose home is above. They
took a dancing class
together, at left. Later, Scott
falls in love with Marie’s
college roommate, Ginevra
King.
12. College Years at Princeton
In 1913, Fitzgerald entered Princeton University
During holidays, he returned home to St. Paul,
where he met Ginevra King in 1915
A rich girl from Lake Forest,
Illinois, Ginevra and Scott
carried on a romance mainly
through letters. When she finally
broke up with him in 1917, he
was devastated.
13. A move to Summit Avenue, and FAILURE
During Scott’s sophomore year, his parents moved
into a three-story brownstone at 593 Summit Ave.
14. Scott did not apply himself to his
studies at Princeton, so when he fell
ill with a mild case of tuberculosis
his junior year, it was a convenient
excuse to drop out of school.
He moved home to live with parents,
where he had a room on the third
floor. He stayed there for eight
months, then returned to Princeton
for a short time until war was
declared in 1917.
Scott enlisted in the military and was
commissioned a second lieutenant
in the infantry.
15. Meeting Zelda Sayre
Scott was stationed
at Camp Sheridan in
Alabama, where he
met Zelda Sayre, the
18-year old daughter
of a State Supreme
Court judge
16. Although Scott and Zelda were from
different social classes, they fell in love
and were soon engaged.
Shortly before Scott was to be sent
overseas to fight, the war ended.
In 1919, after his discharge from the army,
Scott moved to New York City to work in
advertising and make his fortune so he
could marry Zelda.
Unwilling to live on his meager salary,
Zelda broke off the engagement.
Disheartened, Scott quit his job and
Zelda at age 18
moved back to St. Paul in July 1919.
17. First novel: This Side of Paradise
For two months, Scott sequestered himself in a room
on the third floor at 599 Summit Avenue, and rewrote
a novel he’d tried to publish the year before
His book was accepted by Scribner’s in mid-September
He wrote a friend,
In a house below the average
On a street above the average
In a room below the roof
With a lot above the ears
I shall write Alida Bigelow…
Scribner has accepted my book. Ain’t I smart!
18. Zelda says
yes
The publication
of This Side of
Paradise on
March 26, 1920,
made the
twenty-four-
year-old
Fitzgerald
famous almost
overnight, and a
week later he
married Zelda
Sayre in New
York
20. Expanding the Family
While living in New
York City, Scott wrote
his second novel, The
Beautiful and the
Damned
1921: Zelda got
pregnant and they
return to St. Paul for
the birth of their
daughter, Frances
Scott (Scottie)
Fitzgerald A month before Scottie’s birth
21. While in St. Paul, Scott and Zelda frequented The University Club, a Summit
Avenue fixture. Local legend holds that Fitzgerald carved his initials in the
basement bar, but this is inaccurate.
22. Increasing Problems
Fall 1922- family moves to Great Neck, Long Island
Scott’s play is a flop so he writes short stories to get
out of debt
His drinking increases, but he is sober when he
writes
Zelda drinks but is not an alcoholic
Domestic bouts are frequent
23. Going Abroad
•The Fitzgeralds escaped to
France in 1924
•They spent time on the Riviera,
where Zelda had an affair with a
French aviator
•The Great Gatsby published in
1925 to critical acclaim but
disappointing sales
24. Expatriate Writers in Paris
•Scott and Zelda were part of the
Expatriates, a group of young
American writers such as Ernest
Hemingway who lived in Europe
in the 20s
•Hemingway, then known only in
literary circles, was friends with
Fitzgerald Hemingway and friends in
front of the Shakespeare and
Co. bookstore
•The Fitzgeralds remained in
France until the end of 1926,
when they moved back to the U.S.
25. •Unsuccessful screenwriting stint in Hollywood
•1927- Rented a mansion in Delaware, where they
lived for two years
•Zelda begins ballet training
•Spring 1929- return to France
•April 1930- Zelda suffers first mental breakdown and
is treated in Switzerland over the next year
•The couple spent money faster that Scott earned it
•Return to U.S. in 1931 to Montgomery, Alabama
26. Zelda’s Deterioration
Suffers relapse in February 1932
Remains either a resident or outpatient of
“sanatoriums” for the rest of her life
While at mental patient at John Hopkins, Zelda
writes her autobiography, Save Me The Waltz
Scott rents a house outside Baltimore and
completes his fourth novel, Tender is the Night
27. The Crack-Up
1936-1937 Scott is sick,
drunk, and in debt
Scottie left for boarding
school at age 14
Scott tries to father her
through advice in letters
She attended college at
Vassar
28. Final Years in Hollywood
In 1937, Scott returned to Hollywood alone to work
as a screenwriter
His alcoholism continued
Fell in love with movie columnist Sheilah Graham
Was halfway through a novel about Hollywood,
The Love of the Last Tycoon, when he died of a
heart attack at Graham’s apartment on December
21, 1940
He was only 44 years old
29. Final
Resting
Place
Zelda died in a
fire at the asylum
in 1948
Both Scott and
Zelda were buried
in Rockville,
Maryland, where
Scott’s father was
from
Fitzgerald’s grave
is frequently
visited
