Tales of the Jazz Age by F. Scott Fitzgerald [PDF]

Information: Tales of the Jazz Age

• Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Publication Date: 1922
• Main Characters:
  • Benjamin Button: The protagonist of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," born as an elderly man who ages backward, struggling to find love and purpose in a world that doesn't understand him.
  • John T. Unger: The young protagonist of "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," a middle-class boy who discovers a family's monstrous secret hidden in the Montana wilderness.
  • Braddock Washington: The impossibly wealthy patriarch in "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" who will do anything to protect his family's diamond mountain, including imprisoning visitors.
  • Gordon Sterrett: A struggling artist in "May Day" who spirals into despair as he confronts his failures against the backdrop of New York's post-war chaos.
  • Mr. In and Mr. Out: Two drunken revelers in "May Day" whose comic antics contrast sharply with the story's darker threads of class violence and personal collapse.
• Brief Summary: Tales of the Jazz Age collects eleven short stories and one play, all written between 1920 and 1922. The stories range widely in genre: "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" imagines a family hiding a mountain-sized diamond from the world, while "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" tells of a man who ages in reverse. "May Day" weaves together multiple storylines during the violent social unrest of 1919 New York. Other tales explore failed romances, wild parties, and the cost of chasing the American Dream. Together, they form a vivid portrait of a generation caught between euphoria and emptiness.
• Thematic Analysis: The central themes revolve around wealth, illusion, and the moral cost of excess. Fitzgerald repeatedly examines how the pursuit of money and status leads to isolation and self-destruction. Class division, the gap between appearance and reality, and the fragility of youth run through nearly every story in the collection.
• Historical Context: Fitzgerald wrote these stories during the early 1920s, a period of booming economic growth and cultural upheaval in America following World War I. The term "Jazz Age" itself was popularized by this very collection, reflecting the era's obsession with music, parties, and breaking social norms. Prohibition was in full effect, yet alcohol flowed freely at private gatherings, a contradiction Fitzgerald captured with precision.