Summary
This Side of Paradise marked the fiction debut of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Published in 1920, the novel became an instant sensation and established the 23-year-old author as the voice of a new generation in America. The semi-autobiographical coming-of-age story follows Amory Blaine from his privileged Midwestern upbringing through his years at Princeton University and into young adulthood in New York City. With its frank depiction of the pursuit of love, status, and meaning among America’s youth, the novel popularized the image of the carefree “flapper” and became associated with rebellion against traditional morality.
Experimental in structure and filled with poetry, letters, and stream-of-consciousness passages, This Side of Paradise challenged literary conventions. Critics widely praised Fitzgerald's fresh voice and insight into the post-World War I generation. The novel's success enabled Fitzgerald to marry Zelda Sayre and launched his career as one of the preeminent chroniclers of the Jazz Age.
Plot
This Side of Paradise follows Amory Blaine from his privileged youth through his years at Princeton University and into young adulthood. As a teenager, Amory is handsome, self-absorbed, and convinced of his own greatness. At Princeton, he pursues popularity and status, joining exclusive clubs and trying to become a big man on campus. He falls in and out of love with several young women, including the debutante Isabelle Borgé.
After graduating, Amory enlists in the army during World War I. When he returns, he moves to New York City and gets a job in advertising, which he hates. He falls deeply in love with Rosalind Connage, but she ultimately rejects him for a wealthier man who can provide the lifestyle she desires. Devastated, Amory goes on a weeks-long drinking binge.
Amory then meets Eleanor Savage, an intelligent and unconventional young woman. They have a brief but intense relationship. After a pivotal incident, Amory comes to the realization that he doesn't truly love her. Disillusioned, he wanders from New York back to Princeton, pondering his place in society.
In the final pages, Amory has an epiphany about his own selfishness and the state of his generation. Standing alone on the Princeton campus, he feels a new sense of freedom and self-knowledge, proclaiming “I know myself, but that is all.” The novel ends with Amory poised to move into an uncertain future, having lost his youthful illusions but gained some hard-won wisdom about himself and his world.
Themes
Coming of age and self-discovery
Disillusionment with traditional values
Pursuit of success and social status
Changing morals and social norms of youth culture
Love, romance, and relationships
Impact of World War I on a generation
Struggle between idealism and materialism
Setting
This Side of Paradise is set primarily in the 1910s, spanning the years leading up to and during World War I. The story begins as the protagonist Amory Blaine is finishing prep school and follows him through his time at Princeton University and into young adulthood. This era, on the cusp of the Roaring Twenties, represents a transitional period in American society as traditional Victorian values began to give way to the more freewheeling attitudes of the Jazz Age.
Geographically, the novel moves between several locations across the northeastern United States. Much of the action takes place at Princeton University in New Jersey, where Amory spends his college years. Other key settings include Minneapolis, where Amory grew up and returns for visits; New York City, where he works briefly after graduating; and various East Coast locales, including Atlantic City, where Amory and his friends vacation. The novel also touches on Amory's experiences in Europe during his brief stint in the Army at the end of World War I.
Within these broader geographical areas, Fitzgerald vividly depicts specific settings that exemplify the lifestyle of privileged young Americans of the era. The elite social clubs and leafy quads of Princeton feature prominently, as do glamorous hotels and beachfront resorts. New York City is portrayed as an exciting hub of post-war opportunity and excess. Throughout, Fitzgerald uses evocative descriptions of place to reflect the evolving mindset of Amory and his peers as they navigate the transition from adolescence to adulthood in a rapidly changing world.
Characters
Amory Blaine: The protagonist, a privileged young man from the Midwest who becomes a student at Princeton and then launches a career in New York City. Handsome and egotistical, Amory struggles to find his place in the world as he experiences a series of romantic relationships. He grapples with his ambitions, ideals, and disillusionment in post-World War I America. Amory's journey of self-discovery mirrors Fitzgerald's own experiences as a young man.
Isabelle Borgé: Amory's first love interest, a beautiful and shallow debutante. Their passionate but short-lived relationship ends due to mutual immaturity and misunderstanding. Isabelle represents the allure and superficiality of youth that initially captivates Amory.
Monsignor Darcy: A Catholic priest who serves as Amory's spiritual mentor and confidante. He offers guidance and wisdom to Amory throughout his journey, representing a moral compass in contrast to the hedonistic world Amory often inhabits.
Rosalind Connage: A cruel and selfish flapper with whom Amory falls deeply in love after returning from World War I. Their relationship ends painfully when Rosalind chooses a wealthier suitor, symbolizing the materialism of the era.
Eleanor Savage: An intelligent and reckless young woman Amory meets in Maryland. Their brief but intense relationship represents Amory's intellectual and spiritual awakening. Eleanor's atheism and unconventional behavior challenge Amory's worldview.
Beatrice Blaine: Amory's eccentric and overbearing mother. Her influence shapes much of Amory's early personality and outlook on life. Beatrice's death marks a turning point in Amory's journey to independence.
Thomas Parke D'Invilliers: Amory's close friend and confidante at Princeton. He serves as a sounding board for Amory's ideas and represents the literary world Amory aspires to join.
Quick facts
Fitzgerald wrote the first draft of This Side of Paradise in just three months while serving in the Army, hoping to become famous before dying in World War I.
The novel was rejected twice by Scribner's before finally being accepted for publication on Fitzgerald's third attempt.
Fitzgerald chose the title from a line in Rupert Brooke's poem “Tiare Tahiti."
The release of This Side of Paradise in 1920 made 23-year-old Fitzgerald an overnight literary sensation.
The book's success convinced Zelda Sayre to marry Fitzgerald, as she had previously broken off their engagement.
The character of Amory Blaine was largely based on Fitzgerald himself as a young Princeton student.
Many Princeton University faculty and alumni voiced their strong dislike for the novel's portrayal of the school.
This Side of Paradise was one of the first novels to feature the flapper archetype that became associated with the 1920s.
Fitzgerald’s debut novel went through 12 printings in 1920 to 1921 alone, selling over 49,000 copies.
About the Author
F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) was one of the most celebrated American authors of the 20th century. Born in Minnesota, Fitzgerald attended Princeton University before joining the army during World War I. His experiences as a young man formed the basis for his debut novel This Side of Paradise (1920), which brought him instant fame and acclaim as the voice of the Jazz Age generation. Fitzgerald's literary career reached its peak with the publication of The Great Gatsby (1925), now considered his masterpiece and a contender for the title of Great American Novel.
Fitzgerald's personal life was as tumultuous as the era he chronicled. His marriage to Zelda Sayre was plagued by alcoholism, mental illness, and mutual infidelity. The couple lived an extravagant lifestyle in both America and Europe, socializing with other prominent expatriate writers like Ernest Hemingway. Fitzgerald's own struggles with alcoholism eventually took a toll on his health and career.
Along with novels, Fitzgerald was a prolific writer of short stories for popular magazines, which provided his main source of income. However, his later years were marked by financial struggles and declining popularity as the Great Depression changed public tastes. Though Fitzgerald died believing himself a failure, his writing experienced a remarkable revival in the following decades. The Great Gatsby in particular gained widespread recognition as a literary classic. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life and works continue to fascinate readers and scholars, viewed as both a celebration and critique of the American dream.
