Author(s): F. Scott Fitzgerald; Philip McGowan (Editor)

Classics

Published in 1920, This Side of Paradise put F. Scott Fitzgerald in the literary spotlight. It was Fitzgerald's first novel, written when he was 23, but it quickly became a symbol for the restlessness and glittering excesses of the Roaring Twenties. Amory Blaine, handsome and rich, has been raised with every advantage. Swathed in charm and fashionable clothes, the young man goes to Princeton. During his short but extravagant years in the Ivy League, Amory receives an excellent education. He learns the ways of the world at cocktail parties, during debates lasting far into the night, and in the arms of lovely women. Fitzgerald calls him the Egotist, but Amory embodies more than self-absorbtion. His innocence and sense of style left their marks on a generation who sought to imitate him. Jeff Woodman's exuberant voice sets a brilliant tone for the young man's sophisticated, giddy world.