Question
Struggles and Late Works
Despite his literary success, Fitzgerald wrestled with alcoholism, financial difficulties, and a volatile marriage throughout his life. He and Zelda fought often, and her own struggles with mental illness strained their marriage even further.
In 1930, Fitzgerald published his fourth novel, Tender Is the Night, which drew heavily on his own experiences with Zelda and their difficult marriage.
“The catalyst for the completion of the novel was in fact Zelda’s mental breakdown,” says West. “He observed her closely even as he was heartbroken by what was happening to her. But like any good writer, he also understood that this was good material.”
However, the novel was not as well received as his previous work, and in the 1930s, Fitzgerald’s career began to decline. He struggled to write and sell his work. Zelda wrote too, including the 1932 novel Save Me the Waltz, as Fitzgerald turned to Hollywood, writing screenplays for studios such as MGM and Warner Bros. Fitzgerald’s last completed novel, The Last Tycoon, about the rise of a producer in the movie business, was published posthumously in 1941, after he died of a heart attack at the age of 44. Right before his death, he said to Zelda, “It will, at any rate, be nothing like anything else as I’m digging it out of myself like uranium.”
Guiding Questions
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Question 5 of 6
After The Great Gatsby,…
Fitzgerald wrote more successful novels.
Zelda helped Fitzgerald become a screenwriter.
Zelda decided to write a novel to compete with Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald ran into several personal and professional challenges.
Despite his literary success, Fitzgerald wrestled with alcoholism, financial difficulties, and a volatile marriage throughout his life. He and Zelda fought often, and her own struggles with mental illness strained their marriage even further.
In 1930, Fitzgerald published his fourth novel, Tender Is the Night, which drew heavily on his own experiences with Zelda and their difficult marriage.
“The catalyst for the completion of the novel was in fact Zelda’s mental breakdown,” says West. “He observed her closely even as he was heartbroken by what was happening to her. But like any good writer, he also understood that this was good material.”
However, the novel was not as well received as his previous work, and in the 1930s, Fitzgerald’s career began to decline. He struggled to write and sell his work. Zelda wrote too, including the 1932 novel Save Me the Waltz, as Fitzgerald turned to Hollywood, writing screenplays for studios such as MGM and Warner Bros. Fitzgerald’s last completed novel, The Last Tycoon, about the rise of a producer in the movie business, was published posthumously in 1941, after he died of a heart attack at the age of 44. Right before his death, he said to Zelda, “It will, at any rate, be nothing like anything else as I’m digging it out of myself like uranium.”
Guiding Questions
Show Less
Question 5 of 6
After The Great Gatsby,…
Fitzgerald wrote more successful novels.
Zelda helped Fitzgerald become a screenwriter.
Zelda decided to write a novel to compete with Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald ran into several personal and professional challenges.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Fitzgerald ran into several personal and professional challenges.