this side of paradise1

F. Scott Fitzgerald Introduction to F. Scott Fitzgerald This Side of Paradise Book I Many critics have complained, with justice, that a great flaw in This Side of Paradise (aside from its loose, rambling structure) is the fact that the author seems uncertain as to his own attitude. He mocks the romantic delusions or emotional melodrama of his "little rich boy," Amory Blaine, while too often he shares, or seems to share, in the delusions …

…an equally persistent dissatisfaction with the Ideal. Unwilling or unable to sacrifice "real" success by committing himself fully to an ideal, and unwilling to sacrifice his Ideals or Dream-roles by committing himself totally to the real world, Amory fluctuates between both, and finally can identify neither. And so he is left without emotional or intellectual direction-until the war provides at least a temporary solution by eliminating the need for any commitment whatever. (c) 1995 Simon & Schuster