Summary
F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night, published in 1934, examines themes of love, ambition, and mental illness during the Jazz Age. The story, set mainly on the French Riviera, follows the marriage of Dick and Nicole Diver amid societal excess and moral decline. The novel addresses the destructive nature of indulgence and the pursuit of the American Dream.
Plot
Tender Is the Night is set in 1920s Europe. It begins on the French Riviera where Dr. Dick Diver and his wife, Nicole, a wealthy American heiress, are central figures in an influential social circle. The arrival of Rosemary Hoyt, a young Hollywood actress who becomes infatuated with Dick, leads to events that disrupt the Divers' seemingly perfect life.
The narrative shifts back to 1917, when Dick first meets Nicole at a Zurich clinic. She is being treated for schizophrenia, a result of her father’s sexual abuse. Despite ethical concerns, Dick marries Nicole, captivated by her vulnerability.
Dick's potential dims over time. He opens a clinic with Nicole’s wealth, but his professional achievements fade as he struggles with the dual roles of husband and doctor. His personal issues, including alcoholism and dissatisfaction, become more intense. A key encounter with Rosemary in Rome, now a more assured actress, diminishes their once-romantic allure. They have a brief affair, which highlights the superficiality of their relationship.
The novel concludes as Dick and Nicole’s marriage dissolves. Dick's ambition fades, and he spirals into self-destruction. Nicole, in contrast, becomes stronger, beginning an affair with Tommy Barban. Their divorce becomes inevitable. Dick returns to America, a shadow of his former self. Nicole finds a new life with Tommy. Dick remains a distant memory through occasional letters to Nicole, sustaining a minimal link to their past.
Themes
Excess, vice, and destruction
In Tender Is the Night, Fitzgerald explores themes of excess, vice, and self-destruction through Dick Diver and his wife, Nicole, and their affluent expatriate circles. Their Jazz Age lifestyle initially seems glamorous but embodies profound emptiness. Dick's decline, exacerbated by indulgence and poor choices, exemplifies the dangers of unchecked vice. He descends into alcoholism and professional ruin. Scenes such as Dick's public collapse highlight the trajectory of excess leading to tragedy.
Failed American Dream
In Tender Is the Night, Fitzgerald examines the American Dream through the rise and fall of Dick Diver. Dick begins as a promising psychiatrist, embodying success and fulfillment. Ambition and societal ideals initially drive Dick, but financial strain and broken relationships lead to his downfall. Dick’s story parallels America’s journey from the height of Jazz Age excess to the collapse of personal fortunes during the 1929 financial crash. Fitzgerald's narrative suggests materialistic pursuits undermine potential, leading to isolation and defeat. This disintegration critiques the fleeting and unstable nature of the American Dream.
Characters
Dick Diver: A psychiatrist whose career and personal life become entangled when he marries his patient, Nicole. His experiences reflect the destructive impact of ambition, societal expectations, and personal vulnerabilities.
Nicole Diver (née Warren): Initially Dick's patient with schizophrenia, Nicole becomes his spouse. Her story explores mental illness, both its roots in past trauma and its effects on autonomy and relationships.
Rosemary Hoyt: A Hollywood actress who falls for Dick while visiting the French Riviera. She symbolizes youth and beauty, contrasting with the opulence and decline she witnesses in the Divers' lives.
Tommy Barban: An adventurer and soldier who has an affair with Nicole. He represents both liberation and destruction, influencing the breakdown of Nicole’s marriage to Dick.
Franz Gregorovious: A psychiatrist and colleague of Dick at the Zurich clinic. His pragmatic approach to psychiatry emphasizes the conflict between duty and personal involvement.
Baby Warren: Nicole's controlling sister, who focuses on maintaining social and economic stability. She influences the Divers' marriage, reflecting the power dynamics in wealthy families.
Quick facts
F. Scott Fitzgerald worked nearly a decade on Tender Is the Night, which took him longer to complete than any of his other novels.
The novel includes autobiographical elements, reflecting Fitzgerald's own battles with alcoholism and his wife Zelda's mental illness.
Dick and Nicole Diver, the protagonists, are believed to be semi-autobiographical reflections of Fitzgerald, his wife, Zelda, and their troubled relationship.
The book's title is drawn from John Keats's poem “Ode to a Nightingale,” signifying themes of fleeting beauty and tragic aspirations.
The novel captures and critiques the decadence and disillusionment of the post-World War I Jazz Age, a term Fitzgerald himself popularized.
The character Rosemary Hoyt was inspired by Hollywood actress Lois Moran.
The plot revolves around Dick Diver's decline from a promising psychiatrist to an alcoholic, paralleling Fitzgerald's own decline.
The story primarily takes place in the glamorous setting of the French Riviera, reflecting Fitzgerald's own experiences and the excesses of the era.
There are two versions of the novel—the original 1934 version, featuring a complex, nonlinear narrative, and a 1951 posthumous revision by Malcolm Cowley structured chronologically.
Despite Fitzgerald's high expectations, Tender Is the Night initially received lukewarm reviews and was not a commercial success upon release in 1934.
Critics today widely consider Tender Is the Night one of Fitzgerald's most accomplished and sophisticated works.
Tender Is the Night has been adapted into film, television, ballet, and stage productions.
Publication journey
Tender Is the Night was published in two editions offering different structural perspectives. Fitzgerald’s original 1934 version begins on the French Riviera and unfolds in a non-linear narrative, using flashbacks to reveal the history of Dick and Nicole Diver's relationship. The story first presents the Divers through actress Rosemary Hoyt's youthful admiration and later exposes the complexities of their lives. After Fitzgerald’s death, Malcolm Cowley completed a revision, based on the author’s notes in response to criticism, told in chronological order. Published in 1951, this version starts with Dick's early career and encounters with Nicole's psychiatric issues. Though offering a straightforward approach, the second version lacks the original's depth and complexity.
Adaptations
A 1962 film adaptation of Tender Is the Night stars Jason Robards as Dick Diver and Jennifer Jones as Nicole. Directed by Henry King, the film focuses more on romantic drama than societal excess and personal decline. It received mixed feedback, particularly regarding its faithfulness to the novel.
In 1985, a miniseries was produced through a collaboration among BBC, 20th Century Fox Television, and Showtime Entertainment. Peter Strauss and Mary Steenburgen played the roles of the Divers. This format attempted to explore the novel’s themes more extensively. However, it faced difficulties in fully conveying the book’s sense of disillusionment and irony, underscoring the challenges of adapting Fitzgerald's complex storytelling for the screen.
About the author
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was an American novelist, essayist, and short story writer best known for his literary works capturing the Jazz Age. He launched his career in 1920 with This Side of Paradise, followed two years later with The Beautiful and the Damned. In 1925, The Great Gatsby established him as a literary icon. His fourth novel, Tender Is the Night, provides insight into his personal struggles, financial and moral, and his troubled relationship with his wife, Zelda, who suffered from schizophrenia. The novel, which took him 15 years to write, received disappointing reviews upon its release in 1934. Today, Tender Is the Night is widely regarded by critics as Fitzgerald’s most accomplished work. His unfinished fifth novel, The Last Tycoon, was completed by his friend, the literary critic Edmund Wilson, and published posthumously in 1941. In addition to his novels, Fitzgerald published four story collections and 164 short stories.
