菲茨杰拉德：伟大的美国梦者

by anonymous

最伟大的作家常常具有多重作用，既是其时代的象征，又是永恒神话的缔造者。F·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德（1896-1940）显然符合这一描述。他的代表作《了不起的盖茨比》是二十世纪二十年代这一所谓的“爵士时代”的佳作，然而它也有着穿越时间的特质，不仅能回溯到哥特时代的颓废堕落，也能延伸到正在快速衰落的美国未来。通过五部长篇小说、十部短篇小说集和其他短文，菲茨杰拉德精确地记录了二战后的美国。即使是一个世纪之后，他的作品依然能够引起读者的共鸣。

由莱昂纳多·迪卡普里奥、凯瑞·穆里根和托比·马奎尔等明星主演的最新版《了不起的盖茨比》即将上映，这位传奇人物必将再次成为人们热议的话题。

The American author F. Scott Fitzgerald， a 1）legendary figure of the 1920s， was a beautiful writer， and an 2）exceptional 3）craftsman. His 4）tragic life was 5）ironically similar to his romantic art， and a tragic example of both sides of the American Dream—the joys of young love， wealth and success， and the tragedies 6）associated with 7）excess and failure.

On September 24th， 1896， Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born into an Irish 8）catholic family in St. Paul， Minnesota. His mother was from a wealthy family， and his father， Edward， was a furniture

9）manufacturer. After Edwards business failed， he was employed by Proctor and Gamble， and the family moved to New York. The family lived there for some years； but in 1908， when Fitzgeralds father lost his job， they returned to St. Paul.

Fitzgerald 10）enrolled at Princeton University in 1913. There， he worked on The Princeton Tiger， a magazine published by the university. He also wrote for Princetons Triangle Club， an organization that put on musicals. Due to ill health and low grades， he left the university in 1915. He returned to Princeton in 1916， but left a year later without a degree and joined the US Army. 11）Stationed in Alabama in 1918， he met and fell in love with an 18-year-old Southern 12）belle—Zelda Sayre. The two became 13）engaged. After he left the army he took an advertising job for a short period. Unfortunately， his rather small salary was not enough to 14）convince Zelda to marry him. Tired of waiting for him to make his fortune， she broke off their engagement in 1919.

Back home in St. Paul， after rewriting it for the third time， Fitzgerald finished his first novel， This Side of Paradise， which was published in 1920.

Fitzgerald， suddenly a rich and famous author， married Zelda a week after its publication. Of this period， he later recalled riding up Fifth Avenue in a cab—young， rich， famous， and in love （he might easily have added handsome）—suddenly 15）bursting into tears because he knew he would never be so happy again. He was right. Despite great earnings and fame， he and Zelda lived 16）grandly and 17）luxuriously—but tragically.

A daughter was born in 1921 after the couple had spent some time in Europe. When Fitzgeralds second novel， The Beautiful and Damned （1922）， and a collection of short stories， Tales of the Jazz Age （1922）， sold well， they rented a house on Long Island and ran into debt because of their 18）reckless spending. Fitzgerald tried to recover by writing a play， The Vegetable （1923）， but it was unsuccessful. The Fitzgeralds went to Europe for over two years. The high points of this trip were the publication of The Great Gatsby （1925） and the beginning of Fitzgeralds friendship with Ernest Hemingway. In 1927， Fitzgerald went to Hollywood on his first movie 19）assignment. Afterward the Fitzgeralds again went overseas several times.

Zelda had her first major nervous 20）breakdown in 1930， and her following treatment in a Swiss clinic became the basis for Fitzgeralds next novel， Tender Is the Night （1934）. Zelda spent the rest of her life in and out of treatment centers， and Fitzgeralds own life ran a similarly unfortunate 21）course.

Fitzgerald earned over 400，000 dollars between 1919 and 1934， but he and Zelda lived so expensively that they barely managed to cover their bills. When Tender Is the Night failed to excite interest， 22）financial problems became 23）critical. By 1937， Fitzgerald owed 40，000 dollars despite continued earnings from magazine stories； Zelda had returned to medical care in 1934；and the years from 1935 to 1937 saw Fitzgeralds own 24）decline—increasing 25）alcoholism and 26）physical illness. Fitzgerald was able to 27）land a job as a screenwriter for MGM注 in 1937， and was able to pay off 28）the bulk of his debt. Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood alone and began an 29）affair with Sheilah Graham. Zelda would spend the rest of her life in the hospital soon after. On December 21st， 1940， F. Scott Fitzgerald died of a heart attack. He was 44 years old at the time. His 30）untimely death may have been caused by years of heavy drinking. Zelda Fitzgerald died in a fire at Highland Hospital eight years later.

美国作家F·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德——二十世纪二十年代的传奇人物——是一位文笔优美的作家，也是一位无与伦比的艺匠。具有讽刺意味的是，他的悲剧人生和其浪漫的作品一样，是美国梦两个对立面的悲剧例证：一面是青春爱恋、财富与成功的欢乐，另一面则是挥霍与失败带来的悲剧。

弗朗西斯·斯科特·基·菲茨杰拉德于1896年9月24日出生于（美国）明尼苏达州圣保罗市的一个爱尔兰天主教家庭。他的母亲来自一个富贵之家，父亲爱德华则是一个家具制造商。爱德华生意失败后，受雇于宝洁公司，于是全家搬迁至纽约市。一家人在那里生活了几年，但1908年当菲茨杰拉德的父亲失业后，他们回到了圣保罗市。

菲茨杰拉德于1913年入读普林斯顿大学。其间，他为《普林斯顿之虎》——一本由普林斯顿大学发行的杂志工作。他也为专门制作音乐剧的普林斯顿三角俱乐部写作。因为身体欠佳以及学分过低，他于1915年离开了大学。1916年他又回到普林斯顿，但一年后未取得学位便离开大学加入了美国陆军。1918年在阿拉巴马州驻扎期间，他邂逅并爱上了18岁的南方佳丽——塞尔达·塞尔，随后两人订婚了。离开军队后，他从事过短期的广告业工作。不幸的是，他那微薄的薪水无法说服塞尔达嫁给他。她厌倦了等待他赚钱致富，于是在1919年解除了两人的婚约。

回到圣保罗市后，经过三次重写，菲茨杰拉德完成了他的第一部小说《人间天堂》，并于1920年出版。

菲茨杰拉德一夜致富，成为了著名作家，并在小说出版后的一个星期迎娶了塞尔达。后来他回想起这个时期，他乘车飞驰在（纽约）第五大道——年轻、富有、出名而且处于热恋状态（或许他会轻易地加上英俊）——会突然潸然泪下，因为他知道自己再也不会如此快乐了。他是对的。除了巨大的财富和名声，他和塞尔达生活奢华铺张，却充满了不幸。

1921年，这对夫妇在欧洲度过一段时光后，他们的女儿降生了。菲茨杰拉德的第二部小说《美丽与毁灭》（1 9 2 2年）和短篇小说集《爵士时代的故事》（1922年）大卖之后，他们在长岛租下了一栋房

子，并因为胡乱花钱而开始负债。菲茨杰拉德试图通过写剧本来恢复收入，但这部《蔬菜》（1923年）并不成功。菲茨杰拉德一家去往欧洲度过了两年多时光，而这段旅程的高潮便是《了不起的盖茨比》（1925年）的出版，以及菲茨杰拉德与欧内斯特·海明威结下的友谊。1927年，菲茨杰拉德前往好莱坞接受他的第一个电影工作。此后，菲茨杰拉德一家又多次前往海外。

1930年，塞尔达遭遇了第一次重大精神崩溃，其后她在瑞士一家诊所进行的治疗成为了菲茨杰拉德下一部小说——《夜色温柔》（1934年）的素材。塞尔达的余生都在治疗中心进进出出，而菲茨杰拉德的人生也进入了相似的不幸历程。

菲茨杰拉德在1919至1934年间的收入超过了四十万美元，但他和塞尔达的生活铺张无度，以致他们只能勉强支付账单。当《夜色温柔》未能引起读者兴趣时，经济问题变得严峻起来。到1937年，尽管为杂志写故事获得持续收入，但菲茨杰拉德依然欠下四万美元巨债。塞尔达于1934年再次住进了医院；而1935年至1937年也见证了菲茨杰拉德自身的衰落——酗酒和身体疾病日趋严重。

1937年，菲茨杰拉德揽到一份活计，成为了米高梅公司的编剧，并能够偿还大部分债务。菲茨杰拉德独自搬到了好莱坞，并开始了和谢拉·格拉姆的婚外情。不久之后，塞尔达住进医院，度过余生。

1940年12月21日，F·斯科特·菲茨杰拉德因心脏病发去世，时年44岁。他的英年早逝或许源于长年酗酒。塞尔达·菲茨杰拉德在八年后死于高地医院的一场大火。

关于《了不起的盖茨比》

《了不起的盖茨比》被视为美国文学“爵士时代”的象征，也是菲茨杰拉德的最佳作品。它最初出版时并不受欢迎——菲茨杰拉德在世时的总销量少于二万四千本，直至20世纪50年代再版时才受到广泛注目。其后的数十年它更是成为美国高中、大学文学课的标准教材。

《了不起的盖茨比》所包含的主题贯通了菲茨杰拉德的所有作品：对于财富的麻木漠视、美国成功神话的空虚，以及富人生活方式的庸俗糜烂。这是关于杰伊·盖茨比的故事。杰伊·盖茨比是一个年轻的百万富翁，他出生贫寒，过去的名声并不好。他与他交往的社会阶层并没有太多联系，而且没有人知道他是怎样发家的。虽然他举办众多豪华的宴会，而且有许多人到他那里去吃喝玩乐，但他始终是一个孤独的人。对于那些利用其聚会的人和那些他曾如此绝望地模仿的轻浮富人，他表现出道德上的优越感。而盖茨比之死源于他不现实地试图挽回曾经的恋人黛西。《了不起的盖茨比》表现了美国梦的兴起和没落。

关于“爵士时代”

“爵士时代”出现在20世纪20年代，一般指一战以后、经济大萧条之前约十年的时间。在此期间，传统的清教徒道德土崩瓦解，享乐主义开始大行其道，爵士乐变得相当流行。