Here are listed several of the question that often arise when discussing F Scott Fitzgerald. The outlandish and bizarre questions were asked by readers via e-mail and several, unfortunately, deleted comments, the more reasonable and proper questions were asked and answered as a courtesy by the admins of Spastic Ramblings for those who wanted more relevant information.
If you have a question, irrelevant, irregular, or otherwise, about Mr. Fitzgerald please send us and e-mail at threecrazyguys (at) gmail (dot) com or leave a comment on the blog
Question number One: What does the F stand for?
Answer to Question number One: The F does not, as many people believe, stand for fantastic (This is just an absurd claim made by many of F Fitzgerald fans, I mean how ridiculous would it be to call someone Fantastic Scott Fitzgerald, although given his choice of pets, I would not put it past this...interesting fellow) Indeed, if it can be believed, the F. is a shortening of his first name, which is Francis. Now some may ask why shorten his first name at all, Francis is a perfectly respectable name? That it is, yet I personally suspect he shortened it so as not to be confused with Frances, the well loved badger from the well loved Frances books by Russel and Lillian Hobban; even though their names are spelled differently and one is a childrens book character (and the opposite gender of Mr. Fitzgerald) it is perfectly reasonable for Mr. Fitzgerald to limit the possible confusion by shortening his name.
Question number Two: Who does this guy think he is?
Answer to Question number Two: While it is currently quite difficult to answer this question, due to the fact that he can't be asked because he has been dead for over seventy years, we can certainly make a very educated guess by looking at what he left behind. He himself wrote that he believed himself to be a writer, but his lifestyle says he was something very different, namely a rich opulent "whoring" drunk (the quote is from Hemingway, Wikipedia says so) who married and "insane" woman (also Hemingway). In short he may have just made up the writing thing to tell people something when they asked what he did, rather than replying that he did nothing but drink.
Question number Three: Where in tarnation did he live?
Answer to Question number Three: He was born in St. Paul Minnesota and lived in many places over the course of his life, mainly New York as a child, then back to St. Paul for some school (unfortunately, although not surprisingly, he was expelled for "neglecting his studies." Now it would not be right to assume anything, given the fact that he was only twelve, but it can be suggested that even this early he had succumbed to the irresistible draw of the bottle. Outragous, but possible. Then off to New Jersey, for prep school, and somehow, college at Princeton. He lived in New York, and travelled often to Europe, mostly Paris. When his wife got sick they moved to Maryland, then he moved to Hollywood to work on the movie version of his books, where he died.
Question number Four: How old should this guy be?
Answer to Question number Four: If Fantastic Fitzgerald hadn't died of heart attacks, alcoholism possible recurring tuberculosis, and a crazy wife, he should be about 115 as of this writing.
Question number Five: What if anything did he actually accomplish?
Answer to Question number Five: While this might be a matter of personal opinion I will give it a go. He left behind four novels, which is not too bad for a writer. Yes the Great Gatsby is among them, (as is a short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" though this obscure story surely would have been lost in the mists of time if not for obsessive Fitzgerald Fanatic David Fincher turning it into an outrageously long movie) but these can't be said to be his most lasting achievements. This must surely be his essay "Handle with Care" originally published in Esquire April 1936.
Question number Six: How much did he drink?
Answer to Question number Two: While it is currently quite difficult to answer this question, due to the fact that he can't be asked because he has been dead for over seventy years, we can certainly make a very educated guess by looking at what he left behind. He himself wrote that he believed himself to be a writer, but his lifestyle says he was something very different, namely a rich opulent "whoring" drunk (the quote is from Hemingway, Wikipedia says so) who married and "insane" woman (also Hemingway). In short he may have just made up the writing thing to tell people something when they asked what he did, rather than replying that he did nothing but drink.
Question number Three: Where in tarnation did he live?
Answer to Question number Three: He was born in St. Paul Minnesota and lived in many places over the course of his life, mainly New York as a child, then back to St. Paul for some school (unfortunately, although not surprisingly, he was expelled for "neglecting his studies." Now it would not be right to assume anything, given the fact that he was only twelve, but it can be suggested that even this early he had succumbed to the irresistible draw of the bottle. Outragous, but possible. Then off to New Jersey, for prep school, and somehow, college at Princeton. He lived in New York, and travelled often to Europe, mostly Paris. When his wife got sick they moved to Maryland, then he moved to Hollywood to work on the movie version of his books, where he died.
Question number Four: How old should this guy be?
Answer to Question number Four: If Fantastic Fitzgerald hadn't died of heart attacks, alcoholism possible recurring tuberculosis, and a crazy wife, he should be about 115 as of this writing.
Question number Five: What if anything did he actually accomplish?
Answer to Question number Five: While this might be a matter of personal opinion I will give it a go. He left behind four novels, which is not too bad for a writer. Yes the Great Gatsby is among them, (as is a short story "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" though this obscure story surely would have been lost in the mists of time if not for obsessive Fitzgerald Fanatic David Fincher turning it into an outrageously long movie) but these can't be said to be his most lasting achievements. This must surely be his essay "Handle with Care" originally published in Esquire April 1936.
Question number Six: How much did he drink?
Answer to Question number Six: While the exact number of gallons cannot be known a reasonable and not at all inflated answer is a lot, a lot a lot a lot. Quite a bit. Finding real numbers is too hard, so let's just leave it at that.
Question number Seven: What is F Scott Fitzgeralds favorite animal?
Answer to Question number Seven: Apart from a curious affinity for chickens, Mr. Fitzgerald is fond of electric catfishes and koala's. It must be said that he despises badgers, probably because of the Frances connotation they carry (see question number one).
Question number Eight: How many pages did Fitzgerald write?
Answer to Question number Eight: Again exact numbers are hard to come by, but an educated estimate is ~1,800 up to a possible 4,000 if you include letters and diaries.
Question number Nine: Did F Scott Fitzgerald kill any wild animals?
While this is highly unlikely there are reports of him taking on wild opposums, but other than the chickens (whose death he is only vaguely responsible for) he is not known to have killed anything more dangerous than a rat.
Question number Ten: Who inspired F Scott Fitzgerald?
Answer to Question number Ten: He knew Hemmingway and Gertrude Stein, they undoubtedly influenced him, as did his wife, and while it is not a person alchohol probably played a large role in his writing. Obviously more than three people influenced him and there are surely more people to add to this list.
Question number Eleven: What on Earth does F Scott Fitzgerald look like?
Question number Eleven: What on Earth does F Scott Fitzgerald look like?
Answer to Question number Eleven: While it might be appropriate to divulge a writterly list of his features, and a lengthly description of his character the folks at Spastic Ramblings have gotten increasingly lax and believe that a picture or two will do instead.
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