Scott Fitzgerald as Jay Gatsby, in The .
Frances Scott Key Fitzgerald, born September 24, 1896 in St.
Minnesota, is seen today as one of the true great American novelists. .
Although he lived a life filled with alcoholism, despair, and lost-love, he .
managed to create the ultimate love story and seemed to pinpoint the .
"American Dream" in his classic novel, The Great Gatsby. In the novel, Jay .
Gatsby is the epitome of the "self-made man," in which he dedicates his .
entire life to climbing the social ladder in order to gain wealth, to .
ultimately win the love of a woman: something that proves to be .
unattainable. As it turns out, Gatsby's excessive extravagance and love of .
money, mixed with his obsession for a woman's love, is actually the .
autobiographical portrayal of Fitzgerald.
While attending Princeton University, Fitzgerald struggled immensely with .
his grades and spent most of his time catering to his "social" needs. He .
became quite involved with the Princeton Triangle Club, an undergraduate .
club which wrote and produced a lively musical comedy each fall, and .
performed it during the Christmas vacation in a dozen major cities across .
the country. Fitzgerald was also elected to "Cottage," which was one of the .
big four clubs at Princeton. "Its lavish weekend parties in impressive .
surroundings, which attracted girls from New York, Philadelphia and beyond, .
may well have provided the first grain of inspiration for Fitzgerald's .
portrayal of Jay Gatsby's fabulous parties on Long Island" (Meyers, 27).
Although Fitzgerald was a "social butterfly" while at Princeton, he never .
had any girlfriends. However, at a Christmas dance in St. Paul, MN during .
his sophomore year, he met Ginevra King, a sophisticated sixteen-year-old .
who was visiting her roommate, and immediately fell in love with her. .
Although Scott loved Ginevra to the point of infatuation, she was too .
