Zelda Fitzgerald and the French Aviator Essay -- Fitzgerald Biography

Zelda Fitzgerald and the French Aviator In an attempt to improve their deteriorating marriage, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald made the decision in 1924 to relocate to Europe. Soon after their arrival in the French Riviera, Scott began working feverishly on what would be The Great Gatsby, leaving him little time for family bonding. Servants tended to their only daughter, Scottie, and Zelda, with few other responsibilities, spent her days sunbathing, swimming, and playing tennis. At least this was the case up until she became acquainted with a young French aviator. A local casino owner introduced the couple to a group of French naval officers that were stationed in nearby Frà ©jus. This was the first contact the Fitzgeralds had with foreigners of their own age and Scott finally felt as if he belonged in France. The officer both Scott and Zelda, more importantly, liked most was Edouard Jozan, a lieutenant and son of a middle-class family in Nimes. Nancy Milford describes Jozan by saying, There was an air of assurance about him, a quality of natural leadership that Zelda respected and responded to. Leadership, athletic prowess, a smart military air were precisely those qualities Scott Fitzgerald lacked. It was as if Jozan and Fitzgerald were opposite sides of a coin, each admiring each other’s abilities, gifts, talents, but the difference in the equipment they brought to bear in life was clear.[1] Soon after their introduction, Zelda and Edouard began spending more and more time together and it is most likely the allure of Edouard’s foreign characteristics which attracted her most, seeing that he was clearly the complete opposite of Scott. At the beginning, Scott did not appear threatened by, what he... ...r be repaired.†[7] Works Cited Graham, Sheilah. The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald; New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc, 1976 Milford, Nancy. Zelda: A Biography; New York: Harper and Row, 1970. Stavola, Thomas J. Scott Fitzgerald: Crisis in an American Identity; New York: Harper and Row, 1979. http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html [1] Milford, Nancy. Zelda: A Biography; New York: Harper and Row, 1970. p 109 [2] Graham, Sheilah. The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald; New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc, 1976. p 61 [3] ibid, p 61 [4] http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp [5] Stavola, Thomas J. Scott Fitzgerald: Crisis in an American Identity; New York: Harper and Row, 1979. p 57 [6] Stavola, p 57 [7] http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp Zelda Fitzgerald and the French Aviator Essay -- Fitzgerald Biography Zelda Fitzgerald and the French Aviator In an attempt to improve their deteriorating marriage, F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald made the decision in 1924 to relocate to Europe. Soon after their arrival in the French Riviera, Scott began working feverishly on what would be The Great Gatsby, leaving him little time for family bonding. Servants tended to their only daughter, Scottie, and Zelda, with few other responsibilities, spent her days sunbathing, swimming, and playing tennis. At least this was the case up until she became acquainted with a young French aviator. A local casino owner introduced the couple to a group of French naval officers that were stationed in nearby Frà ©jus. This was the first contact the Fitzgeralds had with foreigners of their own age and Scott finally felt as if he belonged in France. The officer both Scott and Zelda, more importantly, liked most was Edouard Jozan, a lieutenant and son of a middle-class family in Nimes. Nancy Milford describes Jozan by saying, There was an air of assurance about him, a quality of natural leadership that Zelda respected and responded to. Leadership, athletic prowess, a smart military air were precisely those qualities Scott Fitzgerald lacked. It was as if Jozan and Fitzgerald were opposite sides of a coin, each admiring each other’s abilities, gifts, talents, but the difference in the equipment they brought to bear in life was clear.[1] Soon after their introduction, Zelda and Edouard began spending more and more time together and it is most likely the allure of Edouard’s foreign characteristics which attracted her most, seeing that he was clearly the complete opposite of Scott. At the beginning, Scott did not appear threatened by, what he... ...r be repaired.†[7] Works Cited Graham, Sheilah. The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald; New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc, 1976 Milford, Nancy. Zelda: A Biography; New York: Harper and Row, 1970. Stavola, Thomas J. Scott Fitzgerald: Crisis in an American Identity; New York: Harper and Row, 1979. http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp http://www.pbs.org/kteh/amstorytellers/bios.html [1] Milford, Nancy. Zelda: A Biography; New York: Harper and Row, 1970. p 109 [2] Graham, Sheilah. The Real F. Scott Fitzgerald; New York: Grosset and Dunlap, Inc, 1976. p 61 [3] ibid, p 61 [4] http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp [5] Stavola, Thomas J. Scott Fitzgerald: Crisis in an American Identity; New York: Harper and Row, 1979. p 57 [6] Stavola, p 57 [7] http://www.zeldafitzgerald.com/fitzgeralds/index_ie5.asp