03/05/2006 1:5 PM
Posted by VeggieSteph

The Beautiful and Damned by F. Scott Fitzgerald

The Beautiful and Damned may be thought of as a sophomore slump for F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I disagree. While it may not be The Great Gatsby, it is certainly a worthy novel that details the heavy excesses and freewheeling of the Roaring 20’s Jazz babies, along with their inevitable downfall and distress.



Anthony Patch is the grandson of a very wealthy man. He is a gentleman of leisure, and his grandfather would like him to start some sort of profession after he leaves school and returns from traveling in Europe. Instead, Anthony meets Gloria, a terribly narcissistic girl from Kansas who lures and drops men like used handkerchiefs. Eventually, they decide to marry, and for a little while, they are fun, vivacious, and rolling in money. The fun can’t last forever though, and eventually Anthony’s prohibition minding grandfather finds them hosting a drunken weekend party. Gone is the money windfall they were expecting, and of course, the drinking takes over, driving them further and further into unhappiness and debt. Once hope is given in the end, it might already be too late. They have reached a level they may not easily remove themselves from, and they have lost any sort of tenuous connection they had in the first place.

The characters here aren’t nearly as defined as Tender is the Night or The Great Gatsby, but they are more than caricatures. They have definition; you get insight into their thoughts. You recognize a bit of them in some people you knew at one time. There isn’t as much heavy symbolism as some would read in The Great Gatsby, but the plot is still heavily layered, and the supporting characters are well fleshed out and serve as excellent foils to the Patches.

I liked The Beautiful and Damned, and if you like Fitzgerald or anyone like him, it is essential reading. If you want a taste of what he can offer, though, I’d recommend Tender is the Night over this.