Rating: 
Summary: Damned average
Review: The Beautiful and Damned is a Naturalist novel that recounts the slow dissolution of Anthony Patch, heir to a large fortune, and his charmingly immature, hedonistic, and impulsive wife Gloria.There's something a little "off" in this novel--even saying the title out loud requires an odd caesura. The plot has a feeling of artificial inevitability. Early on, it's easy to sympathize with Patch, even to root for him, but at times his thought processes and actions are so maudlin that one wants him to just *fall* already. Gloria is a fine and interesting character, but by and large the peripheral characters are closer to caricatures. The book's strength is its prose, natural and authoritative, never self-consciously clever to an annoying extent. Fitzgerald's pacing is steady; occasional meandering narrative passages are fished quickly out of the water with dialog and plot events. All in all it's a fairly good book, worth a read if you're NOT looking for the near-great Gatsby.
Rating: 
Summary: ughh
Review: The Beautiful and Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a tragic tale of a man named Anthony, struggling with several issues. It begins with his own laziness and social anxiety, only to continue with an effort to achieve the love of a beautiful, yet seemingly unattainable, woman. War, alcohol and other women also play a large role in the struggles Anthony encounters throughout the novel. Ultimately, this book portrays the life of a man whose lackadaisical attitude about life, eventually leads to his own downfall and inevitable insanity.
Fitzgerald wrote this piece in order to analyze the time in which it was written. Throughout the entire novel, there is a specific reference to prohibition and how alcohol was used not only for pleasure, but also as an escape. Throughout the story, as Anthony's life becomes more troubling and hard for him to handle, the reader is able to see he resorts to alcohol more and more and it eventually ends up consuming his life. His addiction and lack of purpose in life eventually leads to his downfall. By the end, Anthony is unable to go one day, let alone a few hours, with out getting drunk and spends the little money he and his wife have to obtain more alcohol. This drunken scene only continues to grow worse after he enters the war scene.
Another significant event perceived by the author through this piece is the war. Fitzgerald was in the army, following his senior year at Princeton, and due to this, many of the details of the war in the novel may have been significant memories to Fitzgerald in which he wished to reveal to those who were uninformed. The war played a large role in this novel as a whole. While things were growing dull in Anthony and Gloria's marriage, issues in the world were elevating. When Anthony goes to enlist, their marriage is given time to breathe and recuperate while they are apart. Yet, Anthony's faithfulness is questioned once he has been away from Gloria for a while and he begins to forget his life back at home. While providing an escape for Anthony and Gloria's' marriage, the war changed their relationship. It seemed to be a turning point at first with Anthony's return, yet after the first week they were reunited, the couple was once again back to their fighting, drinking and partying away what little patience and money they still obtained.
Much like Anthony's character in the book, Fitzgerald's involvement in the war efforts had a large impact on his life. This greatly influenced the details of the war and Anthony's romantic love affair in the novel. While Fitzgerald was at one of his army posts, he met a girl named Zelda Sayre, who may have been represented by Dorothy's character in the novel. Yet in the novel, Anthony's affair with Dot was what eventually ate away at his pride and confidence. He had worked so long and hard to achieve Gloria's companionship. He had fought so hard to obtain what he thought to be unattainable, a beautiful, young, and full of life, woman. Yet, in the end, he allowed this relationship to disintegrate, and found himself in the arms of another. His guilt eventually became so great that he was unable to deal with it. This guilt lead him to eventually push away all of Dots' affections and do the only thing he knew how to do, drink her out of his memory. In the end, when Dot reappeared at his apartment door, begging for his love, no matter what the circumstance, Anthony's guilt, insanity and drunken state gave way to his need for her extinction. Following this instance, Anthony had nothing left to look forward to, and retreated into his mind, to a place in his childhood where he found comfort. There he stayed, no longer caring whether or not his grandfather's money was obtained or anything else, except his small stamp collection, living content only through his memories of the past. Another conflict of society at this time in which Fitzgerald attempted to portray was the carelessness of the upper class and their inevitable downfall. The Patch couple is a prime example of such social standings. Both came from relatively well off families, yet instead of taking responsibility for their lives and their future life together, they depended solely on the possibility of wealth from Adam's grandfather throughout their entire marriage. In any attempt to find a job to support themselves, they were easily distracted. Although eventually they won the lawsuit and the money Anthony's grandfather had unintentionally left, by this time it was pointless. It took five years to gain the money they had been waiting for, for so long. Ironically, it was not until Anthony had given up both physically and psychologically, that the money was obtained. This symbolized how hard and long someone can work for something, eventually driving themselves to insanity before the goal is reached and once it's actually achieved, one is too exhausted both physically and mentally to care anymore.
In this novel, the author accurately portrayed life during this time, and showed his feelings on issues such as war, love, money, social standing and sanity. The author's indication of how these issues correspond with and affect each other as well as the outcome of the combination of such issues is revealed through this novel. This allows the reader to get an accurate sense of life during this time, both of the prosperous and those who struggled. The war had a great affect on the sanity, monetary situation, and relationships of many men at this time allowing for the creation of such characters as in The Beautiful and Damned. Yet Fitzgerald took it one-step further and created a dramatic and eventually tragic love story that grips the reader until the last line of the story with Anthony saying, "I showed them...It was a hard fight, but I didn't give up and I came through!" (449).
Rating: 
Summary: The Tragic Tale of Anthony Patch
Review: The Beautiful and Damned, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, is a tragic tale of a man named Anthony, struggling with several issues. It begins with his own laziness and social anxiety, only to continue with an effort to achieve the love of a beautiful, yet seemingly unattainable, woman. War, alcohol and other women also play a large role in the struggles Anthony encounters throughout the novel. Ultimately, this book portrays the life of a man whose lackadaisical attitude about life, eventually leads to his own downfall and inevitable insanity.
Fitzgerald wrote this piece in order to analyze the time in which it was written. Throughout the entire novel, there is a specific reference to prohibition and how alcohol was used not only for pleasure, but also as an escape. Throughout the story, as Anthony's life becomes more troubling and hard for him to handle, the reader is able to see he resorts to alcohol more and more and it eventually ends up consuming his life. His addiction and lack of purpose in life eventually leads to his downfall. By the end, Anthony is unable to go one day, let alone a few hours, with out getting drunk and spends the little money he and his wife have to obtain more alcohol. This drunken scene only continues to grow worse after he enters the war scene.
Another significant event perceived by the author through this piece is the war. Fitzgerald was in the army, following his senior year at Princeton, and due to this, many of the details of the war in the novel may have been significant memories to Fitzgerald in which he wished to reveal to those who were uninformed. The war played a large role in this novel as a whole. While things were growing dull in Anthony and Gloria's marriage, issues in the world were elevating. When Anthony goes to enlist, their marriage is given time to breathe and recuperate while they are apart. Yet, Anthony's faithfulness is questioned once he has been away from Gloria for a while and he begins to forget his life back at home. While providing an escape for Anthony and Gloria's' marriage, the war changed their relationship. It seemed to be a turning point at first with Anthony's return, yet after the first week they were reunited, the couple was once again back to their fighting, drinking and partying away what little patience and money they still obtained.
Much like Anthony's character in the book, Fitzgerald's involvement in the war efforts had a large impact on his life. This greatly influenced the details of the war and Anthony's romantic love affair in the novel. While Fitzgerald was at one of his army posts, he met a girl named Zelda Sayre, who may have been represented by Dorothy's character in the novel. Yet in the novel, Anthony's affair with Dot was what eventually ate away at his pride and confidence. He had worked so long and hard to achieve Gloria's companionship. He had fought so hard to obtain what he thought to be unattainable, a beautiful, young, and full of life, woman. Yet, in the end, he allowed this relationship to disintegrate, and found himself in the arms of another. His guilt eventually became so great that he was unable to deal with it. This guilt lead him to eventually push away all of Dots' affections and do the only thing he knew how to do, drink her out of his memory. In the end, when Dot reappeared at his apartment door, begging for his love, no matter what the circumstance, Anthony's guilt, insanity and drunken state gave way to his need for her extinction. Following this instance, Anthony had nothing left to look forward to, and retreated into his mind, to a place in his childhood where he found comfort. There he stayed, no longer caring whether or not his grandfather's money was obtained or anything else, except his small stamp collection, living content only through his memories of the past. Another conflict of society at this time in which Fitzgerald attempted to portray was the carelessness of the upper class and their inevitable downfall. The Patch couple is a prime example of such social standings. Both came from relatively well off families, yet instead of taking responsibility for their lives and their future life together, they depended solely on the possibility of wealth from Adam's grandfather throughout their entire marriage. In any attempt to find a job to support themselves, they were easily distracted. Although eventually they won the lawsuit and the money Anthony's grandfather had unintentionally left, by this time it was pointless. It took five years to gain the money they had been waiting for, for so long. Ironically, it was not until Anthony had given up both physically and psychologically, that the money was obtained. This symbolized how hard and long someone can work for something, eventually driving themselves to insanity before the goal is reached and once it's actually achieved, one is too exhausted both physically and mentally to care anymore.
In this novel, the author accurately portrayed life during this time, and showed his feelings on issues such as war, love, money, social standing and sanity. The author's indication of how these issues correspond with and affect each other as well as the outcome of the combination of such issues is revealed through this novel. This allows the reader to get an accurate sense of life during this time, both of the prosperous and those who struggled. The war had a great affect on the sanity, monetary situation, and relationships of many men at this time allowing for the creation of such characters as in The Beautiful and Damned. Yet Fitzgerald took it one-step further and created a dramatic and eventually tragic love story that grips the reader until the last line of the story with Anthony saying, "I showed them...It was a hard fight, but I didn't give up and I came through!" (449).
Rating:
Summary: The Beautiful and Damned: A Look into the Elite
Review: The Beautiful and Damned:
A Look into the Elite "As you first see him he wonders frequently, whether he is not without honor and slightly mad." This type of confusion is typical when following the characters through their whirlwind lifestyles in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, the Beautiful and Damned. Fitzgerald portrays the rich and shameful through the eyes of one of New England's socialites. Fitzgerald holds nothing back when his characters come in contact with alcohol, nightlife, and women in 1910's New York. Having wealth doesn't always bring the happiness and comfort that every human needs and wants.
The action begins by trailing Anthony Patch and his friends fresh out of Harvard. His social status comes from his grandfather, who was a big reformer back in the late 1850's. Anthony and his friends, Maury Nobel and Richard Caramel maintain a lifestyle of extravagant meals and lavish Broadway plays. Anthony's life suddenly takes a turn when he meets Gloria Gilbert. Soon after meeting her, he falls head over heels in love, then beginning a romantic journey with Gloria. Anthony and Gloria finalize their love with marriage. The story unfolds through the trials and tribulations of marriage life for the two.
The realistic setting of 1913's New York City and the Boston area is one of the most important elements of the book. The events that occur could only happen in the New York night life. Each character slowly realizes that they would never live anywhere else in world. Through the book, Anthony "found himself thoroughly enjoying New York." Fitzgerald drew from his own experiences in New York, one of the most influential cities of the 1920's and 1930's. Some other major U.S. cities came into play for the happy couple on their honeymoon. They travel to places like "Chicago, Hot Springs and the West." Without the setting the story would never work out the same.
The protagonist, Anthony Patch is a tall and thin, 25 year old, meek and simple man, who aspires to be an aesthete. He also looks for love in the big city. Sure enough he finds it with Gloria Gilbert. After the honeymoon, he soon realizes that his new wife becomes dependent on material things. Anthony soon finds his life falling into a financial downward spiral. Gilbert, the antagonist, is a 22 year old free spirit coming from the mid-west. After marriage her true colors bleed through, making Anthony realize that she is not the woman he thought. Gloria realizes that he becomes boring to her and she doesn't love him, but she stays for the financial security. Maury Nobel and Richard Caramel are long time friends of Anthony. Richard, a best-selling author, feels much older than the others. He is a short, bald man. Maury, tall and thin, nervous man, meets his best friend at Harvard.
The pace of the plot starts out slow, but then picks up. All the elements of the book come together very well. Fitzgerald takes the reader to 1913's New York to the life of Anthony Patch. His fast pace lifestyle reflects into his marriage, which is run by greed and alcohol. The plot moves smoothly and is simple to understand, which makes it easier to have fun reading this book. Fitzgerald's rendition of a new couple in a big city relates too much of the population.
The type of language Fitzgerald use is sophisticated yet casual English. The diction shows the readers that both Fitzgerald and the characters of the novel have high levels of education. The language explains one of the most important factors in the book: money. "A classic is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation," this quote is classic for some of the conversations between Maury and Anthony. The chance of higher education gives the characters multiple opportunities for a better life.
The Beautiful and Damned depicts the stereotypical views of the wealthy not having problems when in fact they have many of the same problems as everyday, ordinary people. When all the events of the book join together, it becomes a wonderful piece of literature. Some of other Fitzgerald's novels in include The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise. This book is beautifully written and very entertaining to read.
Rating:
Summary: The Beautiful and Damned: A Look into the Elite
Review: The Beautiful and Damned:
A Look into the Elite "As you first see him he wonders frequently, whether he is not without honor and slightly mad." This type of confusion is typical when following the characters through their whirlwind lifestyles in F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, the Beautiful and Damned. Fitzgerald portrays the rich and shameful through the eyes of one of New England's socialites. Fitzgerald holds nothing back when his characters come in contact with alcohol, nightlife, and women in 1910's New York. Having wealth doesn't always bring the happiness and comfort that every human needs and wants.
The action begins by trailing Anthony Patch and his friends fresh out of Harvard. His social status comes from his grandfather, who was a big reformer back in the late 1850's. Anthony and his friends, Maury Nobel and Richard Caramel maintain a lifestyle of extravagant meals and lavish Broadway plays. Anthony's life suddenly takes a turn when he meets Gloria Gilbert. Soon after meeting her, he falls head over heels in love, then beginning a romantic journey with Gloria. Anthony and Gloria finalize their love with marriage. The story unfolds through the trials and tribulations of marriage life for the two.
The realistic setting of 1913's New York City and the Boston area is one of the most important elements of the book. The events that occur could only happen in the New York night life. Each character slowly realizes that they would never live anywhere else in world. Through the book, Anthony "found himself thoroughly enjoying New York." Fitzgerald drew from his own experiences in New York, one of the most influential cities of the 1920's and 1930's. Some other major U.S. cities came into play for the happy couple on their honeymoon. They travel to places like "Chicago, Hot Springs and the West." Without the setting the story would never work out the same.
The protagonist, Anthony Patch is a tall and thin, 25 year old, meek and simple man, who aspires to be an aesthete. He also looks for love in the big city. Sure enough he finds it with Gloria Gilbert. After the honeymoon, he soon realizes that his new wife becomes dependent on material things. Anthony soon finds his life falling into a financial downward spiral. Gilbert, the antagonist, is a 22 year old free spirit coming from the mid-west. After marriage her true colors bleed through, making Anthony realize that she is not the woman he thought. Gloria realizes that he becomes boring to her and she doesn't love him, but she stays for the financial security. Maury Nobel and Richard Caramel are long time friends of Anthony. Richard, a best-selling author, feels much older than the others. He is a short, bald man. Maury, tall and thin, nervous man, meets his best friend at Harvard.
The pace of the plot starts out slow, but then picks up. All the elements of the book come together very well. Fitzgerald takes the reader to 1913's New York to the life of Anthony Patch. His fast pace lifestyle reflects into his marriage, which is run by greed and alcohol. The plot moves smoothly and is simple to understand, which makes it easier to have fun reading this book. Fitzgerald's rendition of a new couple in a big city relates too much of the population.
The type of language Fitzgerald use is sophisticated yet casual English. The diction shows the readers that both Fitzgerald and the characters of the novel have high levels of education. The language explains one of the most important factors in the book: money. "A classic is a successful book that has survived the reaction of the next period or generation," this quote is classic for some of the conversations between Maury and Anthony. The chance of higher education gives the characters multiple opportunities for a better life.
The Beautiful and Damned depicts the stereotypical views of the wealthy not having problems when in fact they have many of the same problems as everyday, ordinary people. When all the events of the book join together, it becomes a wonderful piece of literature. Some of other Fitzgerald's novels in include The Great Gatsby and This Side of Paradise. This book is beautifully written and very entertaining to read.
Rating:
Summary: Lengthy Criticism of Wasted potential
Review: The extremley long second novel of Fitzgerald explores many of the same questions that Fitzgerald probed in his first novel, "This Side of Paradise." This book is very long and could have been abridged and reached the same point. His least exceptional book by far, but a lyrical masterpiece none-the-less. The loss of potential by the novel's protagonist, Anthony Patch is less emotional than the bildingsroman of Amory Blaine or the character deterioation in "Tender is the Night."
Rating: 
Summary: Moral depravity personified
Review: The genius of F.Scott Fitzgerald shines brilliantly in this vastly underappreciated classic novel of moral depravity. The pervasive themes of Fitzgerald include moral corruption, profligate behavior, agnosticism, selfishness, narcissism, egocentrism, and of course, a sick obsession with money and alcohol. These themes permeate all too well throughout the beautifully written The Beautiful and Damned(pardon the pun). Released in 1922, 2 years subsequent to the seminal This Side of Paradise and 3 years prior to the magnum opus The Great Gatsby, incomprehensibly, The Beautiful and Damned was not well received critically nor financially. As a result, history has erroneously filed it under the dubious sophomore jinx category. Strange it may seem, I vehemently disagree. As you read this book, you witness first-hand the maturation of an amazing writer. No American writer of the 20th Century can compare to the profound power and unwavering genius that is F.Scott Fitzgerald. If you enjoyed The Great Gatsby, you will no doubt enjoy this work - an equally beautifully writen and tragic tale of aspiring morally depraved young Americans in pursuit of The American Dream. "Remarkable that a person can comprehend so little and yet live in such a complex civilization."
Rating:
Summary: Clever tale of a self-destructive wealthy bum.
Review: The reader witnesses Fitzgerald's characters as they pass the time and age, but refuse to grow. The main character emerges from a priviledged upbrining and proceeds to alienate those around him with his destructive behavior. Through ironic plot twists and an extremely ironic ending, Fitzgerald question the morals of this and every following generation.
Rating:
Summary: The Boring and Damned
Review: This book really wasn't that great. It was slow and hard to get into. Many incidences were repetitive and the book was a whole lot of nothing. The ending was a let down, and I grew to have a strong feeling of contempt for many of the characters. If you like Fitzgerald, stick with the Great Gatsby or Tender is the Night. Otherwise you'll find reading this book is boring and you'll be damned to want to finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Forget Gatsby--THIS is Fitzgerald's finest hour!
Review: This is a terrific book. A really fine look at the time period, a great plot, interesting characters. This is a ride that you will want to stay on and ride again. Excellent, excellent story. Must read!
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