Flappers and Philosophers by F. Scott Fitzgerald [PDF]

Information: Flappers and Philosophers

• Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Publication Date: 1920
• Main Characters:
  • Bernice: A shy, socially awkward young woman who undergoes a dramatic transformation by bobbing her hair, only to face backlash from her cousin Marjorie.
  • Marjorie: Bernice's glamorous and manipulative cousin who coaches her in social charm but turns against her when Bernice becomes too popular.
  • Ardita Farnam: A bold, bored socialite in The Offshore Pirate who is captivated by a mysterious man who appears to hijack her yacht.
  • Sally Carrol Happer: A dreamy Southern girl in The Ice Palace who travels north to be with her fiance but discovers she cannot abandon her roots.
  • Curtis Carlyle: The charming adventurer in The Offshore Pirate who wins Ardita's heart through an elaborate and romantic deception.
• Brief Summary: Flappers and Philosophers collects eight short stories centered on young Americans navigating love, ambition, and identity in the years following World War I. In "The Offshore Pirate," a bored socialite finds adventure and romance on the open sea. "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" follows a shy girl who transforms herself through a single daring act, only to face unexpected consequences. "The Ice Palace" explores a Southern belle's disillusionment when she moves north. Across the collection, Fitzgerald weaves together comedy, romance, and sharp social observation to paint a vivid picture of a generation caught between old values and a rapidly changing world.
• Thematic Analysis: The central themes revolve around reinvention, class tension, and the collision between romantic idealism and social reality. Fitzgerald explores how young women assert their independence in a world that simultaneously celebrates and punishes their freedom. Love in these stories is never simple; it is tangled with ambition, performance, and the pressure to conform.
• Historical Context: Published in September 1920, Flappers and Philosophers arrived at the dawn of the Jazz Age, just months after Fitzgerald's debut novel This Side of Paradise made him famous overnight. The post-World War I era brought a wave of cultural upheaval: women were gaining the vote, Prohibition had just begun, and a new generation was rejecting Victorian norms. Fitzgerald, only 24 years old, became the defining voice of this transformation, writing from direct experience of the parties, ambitions, and disillusionment of his peers.