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F. SCOTT FITZGERALD AND HIS POPULAR NOVELVho Immortalized the Flapper Tells What He Thinks Of the Girl of Today and What Caused Him to Write a “Best Seller”WHEN F. Scott Fitzgerald, rhe twenty-five year old author, wrote “The Beautiful and Damned,” he did more than merely write one of the cleverest stories ever done by an American ;he immortalized the flapper. #As a result, when you think of a flapper your mind travels instinctively to “The Beautiful and Damned,” either in its novel orscreen adaptation form; and when’ you think of. the novel or picture of this name, your thoughts revert to the much-discussed Rapper.‘‘I sometimes wonder/' says Mr.Fitzgerald, “whether the flapper made me or whether I made her. At anyrate, wc both should be grateful to one another. My story has helped her to understand herself, and it has made the world of non-flappers more appreciative and tolerant/1The idea of writing the story of “The Beautiful and Damned/* he says, dawned on him when he realized that the girl of today is different from her sisters of the past.“I picked on the flapper because she is independent and bravely unconventional. She has more leeway, and is a bit of an iconoclast in regard to a thousand and one things of daily ’life. She refuses to do things simply because *lt's the proper thing.’ Those I saw when I used to run down on week ends from Princeton University to New York City, fascinated' me, and I decided that here was a rich character waiting to be exploited*.“I wanted something different, not the sweet, yvish-washy type of girl heroine who is virtuous and uninteresting, marries after a pallid romance and then the curtain drops down. I found the type I was searching for and made her into Gloria Gilbert, heroine of my story. She is a superb girl.- modem to her finger tips; as sophisticated as French comedy, as true as life. Gloria is typical oi thousands of girJs to be seen any * day on Fifth Avenue, or on any Main Street town of our country. While she is still young, she is already free from family restrictions, knows life as well as any man, is sophisticated without being had, thoroughly enjoys herself, and believes in doing so. Twenty years ago people would have said she was bound for perdition, but times have changed, and Gloria doesn’t care what people say. She believes in living her own life, and brooks no interference with any one.“As soo/x as I fixed her in my mind, I got her counterpart in some men I know. They are rich, clever cynical fellows who pretend to be tired of life. They haven't ideals, for they have never had to struggle; their road has been loo wcll-pavcd, they have noF. Scott Fitzgeraldintention of working, like to loaf around cafes, and for want of anything better to do, take to light wines and lighter flirtations.”Mr. Fitzgerald’s story shows the disintegration that comes into the lives of that section of American society that floats obliviously along op the sea of luxury until-they arc overtaken by the storm of fate--in tile form of punishment for their past dissipations. It shows the fast life lived by the gilded youth, and the faster retribution dogging their footsteps.“The Beautiful and Damned” after its publication, was made into a picture. It. is a Warner Brothers pro* duct ion, and has for its star, Marie Prevost, the famous screen actress especially remembered as a bathing beauty comedienne of a few seasons back. The picture follows the scenes and incidents of the original story with striking fidelity, and it has leen produced with a glitter of striking scenes and color and lavish investiture that will delight the eye of the picture thcatrc-gocr.
Newspaper Details
Des Moines Capital
Des Moines, Iowa, US
Sun, Feb 18, 1923
Page 18
Full Page
Clipped by
Badgerlink
WI, USA 08 May 2018
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