R
e
is a
de
Es udios No eame icanos,
11
9 2 (
199
3). pp.
75
-85
FRANK
NORRIS
AND
F.
sco
FITZGERALD
AS
ROMANTIC
REBELS
SATYAM S.
MOOR
TY
Sou he n U ah U
ni
e si y
C i ics ha e o en conside ed F ank No is as «na u alis » and Sco Fi zge ald
as « oman icis
.
» Bo h w i e s ha e. on he o he hand, « oman ic awa eness,» an
awa eness ha in o ms hei wo ks. In his essay, «A
Plea
o Roman ic Fic ion,»
No is
empha
sizes ha « he ue Romance is a mo e se ious business han» «moonligh
and gol den hai .»
I
is « he ed, li ing hea
o
hings.»
1 Mo eo e , he iews Romance
and Realism exis «no so much in
h
ings as in poin
o
iew
o
he people who see
hings.»2 F ank No is is a oman icis
be
ca
use
o
he «poin
o
iew» wi h which he
obse es li e and sees hings.
The di icul hing is o ge a
h
e li e inmedia ely a ound you - he e y
li e in which you mo e. No omance in i ? No
oma
nce in you.
poo
ool. As
much omance on Michigan A enue as he e is ealism in King A hu 's cou .
l is as you choose
o
see i .
Th
e impo an hing o decide is, which o mula
is
he bes o help you g ip he Real Li e
o
his
o
any o he age ... ·1
Th
e eason why one claims so much o Romance, and qua els so
p
oi
n edly wi h Realism, is ha Realism s ul i ies i sel
.
I no es only he su ace
l.
No is, The Responsibili ies
o
he No 'e/ís . a co
ll
ec
ion
o
c i ica! essays and
a
icl
es
by
F
ank No is. published al
ong
wi h William Dean Howe
ll
s'
C í ícísm a
nd
Fic íon (New Yo k:
Hill and Wang, 1967). p. 279.
2. No is, «
Th
e T ue Rewa d
o
he
No elis ,» The R
es
ponsíhíli íes
o
he No elís1.
p.
200. 3. l
híd
.
76
Sa yam
S.
Moo
y
o
hings.
Fo
i , Beau y is no e en skin deep, bu only a geome ical
plan
e,
wi hou dimensions and dep h, a me e ou side. Realism
is
e y excellen so
a
as i goes, bu i goes no u he han he Realisl
himsel
can ac ually see,
o
ac ually hea . Realism
is
minu e; ...
4
The p o ince
o
Romance is he « a ia ions om lhe ype
o
no mal li e.»
The
«Na u alism is a o m
o
oman icism,
no an
inne ci cle
o
ealism.»5
This, howe e , does nol minimise he na u alis ai s ha bu den No is 's
majo
wo ks and he o man ic elemen s ha a e p eponde an in Fi zge ald
's
ic ion.
No is'
s
belie seems o be in con adis inc ion
o
Fi zge ald's ho oughgoing
co
mmi m
en
owa d aes he ic accomplishmen ; Fi zge ald's ly ical p ose and his keen ea o
he
wo d make him seem mo e a oman ic han a ealis . Nei he
o
he wo no eli
s s
wished o be long o any pa icula school
o
w i e s. Pe haps i would
be
much
sa e
o conside hem as « ealis s» who aimed a an au hen ic po ayal
o
he socie y
o
hei imes. Al e na i ely, hey may be ea ed as oman ic ebels who g ounded
hei
wo k in expe ience bu illumina ed ha wo k by exe cise
o
a oman ic imagina ion.
The oman ics in hei pu sui a c Elysium and ideal li e ga e impo ance
o
celing, imagina ion, and dispa aged eason. The ealis s, on he o he hand,
ejec ed
he oman ic concep ion and ision
o
li e as una ainable and un eal and, acco dingly,
demos a ed hei ai h in eason, eali y, and expe ience.
No is a ed «li e» abo e imagina ion
and
i mly belie ed ha ic ion
mu
s
come om li e; «you
can'
imagine any hing ha you ha e nol al eady seen
and
obse ed.»h His deligh in li e and willingness o leam om ali possible sou ces
made
him c y ha li e is be e han li e a u e, expe ience be e han oaming in « he mis y
si
de
s ee s
o
li e a u e.» As a c ea o
o
li e a u e he a is ough o ha e «li e» as a
ounda ion o ali his wo ks.
H
is
mos exube an and clea s a emen pe aining o he al u e
o
expe ience
o
he w i e is ound in his le e
o
Isaac Ma cosson, who had a o ably e iewed
McTeague:
Wha pleased me mos
in
you e iew
o
'McTeagu
e'
was he 'disdaining
ali p e ensions o s yle.'
I
is p ecisely wha I y
o
a oid. I de
es
' ine w i ing,'
4. No is, «A
Pl
ea
o Roman ic Fic ion
,»
The Responsihili ies
o
he No elis ,
p.
280
S.
No is. «Zola As a Roman ic W i e ,» an
un
signed edi o ial
in
he Wa e on June 21,
1896. This pa
ssage
is quo ed in F anklin Walke
's
F ank No is: A Bio¡¡ aphy ( 1932; p . New
Yo k:
Ru
sse
ll
& Russe
ll
, 1963),
p.
84.
6. F ank No is, «Fic ion
is
Selec i
on
,» Wa e. 16 (Sep embe
11
,
18
97), 3. Rep oduced
in The Li e a y C i icism o F ank No is, ed. Donald Pize (Aus in: Uni e si y o Texas P ess,
1964),
p.
52.
F ank No is
and
F.
Scou
Fi zge ald
as
Romall ic Re
bel
s
77
' he o ic
,'
'e
legan Engli
sh,'
- ommy o . Who c
a e
s o ine s yle! Tell you
yam and !e
yo
u s yle
go
o he de il. We don'
wan
li e a u e, we wan Ii e.7
E en be o e he publica ion
o
any
o
his no els No is in an sho s o y
published
in
1896 p omp s
one
o
his cha ac e s o ell ano he :
You
' e
be
en
w i ing he
se
'D amas
o
he
Cu bs one' wi hou ha dly
s i ing om he house.
Yo
u
' e
ju
s been ying
o
imagine hings ha you hink
a e likely o happen on he s ee s
o
a big ci y a e da k, and you' e been
wo king ha way so long ha you
' e
so
o
used
up
you ma e ial -exhaus ed
you imagina ion. Why don
'
you go igh ou -
now
- onigh , and keep
you
eyes open and
wa
ch wha e ali y happen
s,
and
see
i
you
can
' ind some hing
o make a s o y ou
o
,
o
a leas! some hing ha would sugges one.8
As a as h
eme
and c
on en a e
conce ned No is
se
ems o ha e o mula ed a
c
i ica! sys em ha es s on «li e, no li e a u e.» «Li e,» hen, o No is included he
emo ions and he ins inc s,
he
li
e
o
passion and iolence, he wo ld
o
na u
e,
s eng h, a
nd
na u alness.9 And his c i ica! c edo
p o ided
eedom o No is o
w i e candidly abou his own
pe
cep ions wi h enla ged sensibili y and he eby ee
he no el om he limi a ions and es ain s
o Reali
sm ha only en e ains «
Wi h
i s
me iculous p esen a ion
o
eacups, ag ca pe s, wall-pape and hai clo h so as,
s opping wi h hese.
going
no
deep
e
han i sees, choosing he
o
dina y, he
un oubled, he commonplace.»1º
The
ai h in
he
li e
o
ac
ion, ins inc , and emo ion
ha No is
empha
si
zed
con inues as a o
ce
o eckon wi h in he
mod
e
n
Ame i
can
no el. The desi e
o
expe ience is a key heme in
Am
e ican li e a u e, as Philip
Rah ei e a es:
... since Whi man and James he Ame ican c ea i e mind, seizing a las
upon wha had long been denied o i , has ound he e ms and objec s o i s
ac i i y in he u ge owa d and imme sion in expe ience. I is his sea ch o
expe ience, conduc ed on di e se and o en con lic ing le els
o
consciousness,
7.
F
anklin Walke . ed., The Le /e s o F ank No is (San F ancisco: The Book Club
o
Cali o nia, 1956), pp. 30-3
1.
8. F ank No is, «His Sis e ,» F
ank
No is
o
«The Wa e" (San F ancisco: Wes ga e
P ess.
19
31 ),
p.
34. The passage
is
quo ed om an unpublished disse a ion, «Social Though
in he W i ings
o
F ank No is,» by Sa a Jane
H.
Ga dne , Washing on S a e Uni e si
y,
1966.
l am indeb ed o
Sa a
Ga dn
e
o his.
9. l
am
g a e ul o Donald
Pize
's
«ln oduc ion» o The Li e a y C i icism
o
F ank
No is. (ed.).
10.
No is, «A Plea o Roman ic Fic ion,» in The Responsibili ies, p. 282.
78
Sa yam
S.
Moo y
which has been he dominan , quin essen ial hemeo he cha ac e is ic Ame ican
li e a y p oduc ions- om
Le
a es
o
G ass o Winesbu g, Ohio, and beyond ...
11
Beyond is This
Si
de
o
Pa adise -a po ayal in pe sonal e ms
o
Fi zge ald' s
P ince on expe iences simila o No is's agonizing expe iences inB/ix and
Vando e
and
he B u e. Bo h B lix and This Side
o
Pa adise a e eco ds
o
he no elis s' ansmu ed
expe iences in which hei «sha p and concise a i ude abou li e»12 begins o
eme ge.
As John Kuehl obse es, Sco Fi zge ald's wo k is «Subjec i e, e lec ing his
own
expe iences and emo ions, bu he ea ly no els p esen hese in qui e a di ec way ... »
13
The en ies
in
«Though book,» kep be ween
191
O and 1911, ep esen wha Fi zge ald
a an
ea ly age could
do
well. The «Though book» and he No ebook and he
Ledge
signi y ha Fi zge ald could obse e people and hei in e - ela ionships, p ojec
himsel in o hei mids , and he eby cap u e he essence o his expe iences in objec i e
e ns - he kind o objec i i y ha ealis s demanded
o
hemsel es.
Unlike No is, Fi zge ald did no come up wi h any codi ied c i ica! c edo
o
sys em o hough . His le e s, howe e , e eal occasional glimpses. F om he body
o
his wo ks, le e s, No ebook and «Though book,» i seems ha he younge no el
is
did echo
o
ollow wha he olde w i e had so explici ly p opounded: li e is be e ha·n
li e a u e, expe ience is supe io o imagina ion. This
may
be e med « oman ic
indi idualism» -
as
Donald Pize de ines i , «a pe asi e and widesp ead ai h
in
he
alidi y
o
he indi idual expe ience and mind as a sou ce
o
knowledge
anda
guide
o ac ion.»14 Wha is implici in his ai h and con ic ion
is
ha i is possible o c ea e
se ious and las ing wo ks
o
he imagina ion di ec ly ou
o
Ame ican expe ience.
In
his essay «An Ame ican School
o
Fic ion?» No is is con iden ha :
The school
o
ic ion Ame ican
in
hough , in pu pose, and in ea men
will come in ime, ine i ably. Meanwhile he besl we can expec
o
he leade s
is o emain s ead as , o keep unequi ocally o he me es and bounds
o
he
ineya ds o hei Iabo s; no espassing, no bo owing, no ilching
o he
g apes
o
ano he man's ines.
The
cul i a ion o
one's
own ine is qui e su icien o
all ene gy. We wan hese ines o g ow
-in
ime-
o ake oo deep
in
Ame ican
soil so ha by and by he ui shall be ali
o
ou own g owing.
11. Philip Rah , lma ?e
an
d
Id
ea (No olk, Conn. New Di ec ions,
19
4
9)
, p. 8.
12. In oduc ion o he Mode n Lib a y Edi ion
o Th
e G
ea
Ga sby.
1934.
13 John
Ku
ehl,
«S
co Fi z
ge a
ld's C i ic
a!
Opinions.» Mo
de
n Fic ion S udies. (Sp ing
1961
), pp. 3-
18.
l 4. Donald Pize , «Roman ic lndi idualism
in
Ga land, No is and C ane,»
Am
e ican
Qua e ly. 10, No. 4 (Win e
1958
), 463-464.
F ank
No is
and
F.
Sco
Fi zge a/d as R
om
an ic
Rebels
79
We
do no wan -dis inc ly
and
eheme
n ly
we
do no wan - he ine-
g owe o lea e his own g apes
o
o whilehe lies
o o he
ga he ing
o
-wha ?
The sodden lees
o
an ancien c ushing.
15
Bo h No is and Fi zge ald belie ed in he indi
idual
pe cep ion
o
T u h and
p obed, as No is u ged he no
e
lis o do, he «unplumbed dep hs
o
he human hea ,
and he inys e y
o
sex, and he p oblems
o
li e, and
he
black, unsea ch
ed
pene alia
o
he soul
o
man.»
16
No is g ounded
hi
s c i ica! c
edo
in
he ai h ha li e a u e
in
i s highes o m
«ÍS
a since e ansc ip ion
o
li e.» Fi zge ald wan ed Ii e a u e, among
o he hings,
o
make «new obse a ions,» and a «
new
examina ion in o human
emo ions.»17
The
wo w i e s sha ed a ai h in oman ic indi idualism, expe ience, and
imagina ion; hey also held simila iews on li e. No is
and
Fi zge ald could as we
ll
be conside ed oman ics as ealis s,
o
, mo e app op ia ely, oman ic e beis, hough
li e a y his o ians and c i ics
gen
e ally end o ea
No
is
asa
n a den ad oca e
o
he
na u alis ic no el and Fi zge ald as a his o ian
o
spokesman
o
he Jazz Age
o
he
1920s. No is himsel decla ed ha «Roman
ce
and Realism a e cons an quali ies
o
e e y age, day and hou . They a e he e
o
-day. They exis
ed
in he ime
o
Job. They
wi
ll
con inue
o
exis ill he end
o
ime, no so much in hings as in poin
o
iew
o
h
e people
who see hings.»
18
This answe s c i ics who we e con ounded by li e a
y
labels when
he
y
asked hem
se
l es whe he No is was a na u a
li
s ,
o a
oman icis u ned ea
li
s ,
o a
ealis
«s i ing o ee himsel om he ammels
o
his d ab c a .»19
I
he dis inc ion made by No is be ween oman icism and ealism
- ha
he one deals wi h he unusual and he o he he no mal Ji e- is oo a bi a y o
be accep ed by
hi
s c i ics, i a leas
se
es o explain his own
p o
cedu e.'0
No sin
gle
answe o
nea
pigeonholing is possible wi h ega d o No is in s
pi
e
o
he ac ha he was in luenced by Emile Zola, he
F
ench na u a
li
s .
21
Li e a y
15. No is, The Responsihili ies,
pp
. 273-274.
16. lbid., p. 282.
J 7.
See
Fi zge al
d's
le e
o
Win e , 1939, o his
daugh e
F ances
Sco
Fi zge ald.
Rep oduced in The Le e s
o
F. Sco Fi zge ald. ed. And
ew
Tu nbull (1963; Ban am edn.
New Yo k: Ban
am
Boo
ks, 1971 ), p. 51. A
li
u u e e e ences o his i le wi
ll
be
by
Th
e Lelle s.
J 8. No is.
«T
he
T ue
R
ewa
d
o
he No elis ,» The Responsibili ies, p. 200.
1
9.
E
mes
!
Ma
chand, F ank No is: A S udy (Copy i
gh
1942; pl. 1964; New Yo k:
Oc ago
n Books, 1971 ),
p.
33.
20
. F anklin
Walke
, F ank No is: A Biog aphy, p. 81.
21. «He was
ne e
seen
wi hou a yellow pape -con e ed no el
o
Zola
in his hand,,,
w o
e his b o he ,
Cha
les G. No is,
o
F ank No is.

80
Sa yam S.
Moo y
his o ians like Osea Ca gill, Robe E. Spille , and Vemon Louis Pa ing on
ha e
indeed called No is a disciple o Zola.
Good
ic ion eludes he u na u al bounda ies se o
i
by such e ms
as
« oman icism,» « ealism,» «na u alism,» «exis en ialism,» hough any o ali
o
hese
may be comp ehended in a single wo
k.
Fo example, M cTeag ue.
l
is easy o
conclude
ha i is «pu e na u alism.»
Bu
, how o accoun o he linge ing omance in he
idyll
o
he bela ed !o e o old G annis and Miss Bake ? O he s a k and sha p ealism
o
No is' supe b po ayal
o he
li le wo ld
o
San
F ancisc
o'
s Polk S ee wi h i s
ca
conduc o s, ca gi ls, «co ee join s,» small shops and saloons?
I
is a hy hm
o
he
commonplace wo ld in i s undis u
b
ed ou ine. Also, how igno e he animal quali ies
in
McTeague which a e a a is ic and des uc i e? The e is, hus,
in
his li e a y
ou
de o ce oman icism, ealism, and na u alism; his is ue
o
mo
s
o
he wo ks
o
No is.
Acco ding o No is,
... Romance ... is he kind
o
ic ion ha akes cognizance
o
a ia ions
om he ype
o
no mal li e. Realism is he kind
o
ic ion ha con ines
i sel
o he ype
o
no mal li e. Acco ding o his de ini ion, hen, Romance may e
en
ea
o he
so did, he
unlo ely-
as, o ins ance, he no els
o M .
Zola.
(Zola
ha
s been dubbed a Realis , bu he is,
on
he con a y, he e y head
o
he
Roman icis s.) Also, Realism, used as i some imes is
as
a e m
o
ep oach,
need
no be
in
he emo es sense
o
deg ee o ensi e,
bu
on he o he
hand
espec able as a chu ch and p op
e
as a deacon -as,
o
ins ance, he no els
o
M . Howells
.22
No is conside ed oman icism, ealism, and na u alism in a dialec ic, pi ing
ealism and oman icism as opposing o ces, and placing na u alism
as
a anscending
syn hesis.B Bu , a he same ime, he was
concemed
wi h he exis ence
o
ee will
in
a pu pose ul uni e se -an aspee! ha was epugnan o
he
Con inen al na u alis
s's
c edo
o
scien i ic de e minism. No is' na u alism is an Ame ican e sion, one
close
o anscenden al oman icism. I is di icul o b and him as p ima ily belonging o a
pa icula li e a y school.
No is, i seems, was oman ic a hea wi h a b oad u h
o
li e, ealis in he
sole
mn
ea men
o
his ic ional ma e ials objec i ely po aying con empo a y
scenes, and na u alis
in
his li e a y echniques, pa icula ly in wo ks like McTeague
and Vando e and
h
e B u e. wi hou inco po a ing s ead as ly he philosophy
o
22. No is, «A Plea o Roman ic Fic ion,» The Responsahili ies. p. 280.
23. Though
h
e sen ence is pa ly modi ied, he hough is p ima ily bo owed om
Donald Pize 's The Li e a y C i icism
o
F ank No is, ed.
F ank No is
and
F. Sco Fi zge ald as Roman ic Rebels
81
ma e ialis ic de e minism. «No is accep ed de e minism only in so a as i appealed
o his d ama ic
se
nse.
»
2
~
C i ics unmind ul o his ind him,
no
su p is
in
gly, inconsis en
in
his philosophy.
No is' biog aphe , F anklin Walke , says:
... F om he beginning his empe amen
me ged
he oman ic and he
ealis ic, selec ing he unusual subjec and p esen ing i wi h e isimili ude.
When he w o e I e ne/le, he became abso bed in
he
de ails
o medie al
a mo ;
when he w o e McTeague he «go up» he pa icula s
o
den is y. The me hod
was he same;
h
e o mula alone was
di
e e
n
;
and
i was he disco e y
o hi
s
o mula which so co nple ely changed he na u e
o
his w i ing.
Th
e chan
ge
ca ne as he esul
o
an in e es in Zola and F ench na u alism.
25
A
ca ea
needs, howe e , o
be
added he e o F anklin Walke
's
summa ion.
Wha Walke means by «me hod» is ealis n; bu
i
is no clea
wha
he wan s
« o mula» o mean. Does he sugges ha No is u ned in o a na u alis a e his
exposu e o
Zo
la?
O
did No is
come
up wi h a new
o
heigh ened oman icism unlike
ha
o
Poe
o
Sco ;
no
he kind
o
oman icism ha
deal
only wi h he dis an pas
;
no he kind
o
oman icism
ha
esides
in
d eams and illusions.
Whe eas No is was a ac ed by Zola's wo ld
o big
hings and he sensa ional as in
he epic sweep and
g andeu o
The Oc opus, Fi zge ald' s ascina ion o Zola
's
sys em
o
he eno mous,
h
e o midable, and he e ible was pa ly inco po a ed
in
Tende Is he Nigh
and he un inished The Las Tycoon. In his le e o John O'Ha a, Fi zge ald sugges ed,
«ln en asys em Zolaesque» (see he appendix oJosephson
'sli e
o Zola
in
which he gi es
Zola's plan o he i s Rougon-Maqua book)
26
In ac , he No es o he un inish
ed
The
Las Tycoon indica e ha Fi zge ald did no s op p ac ising wha he p eached.
I seems ha bo h No is and Fi zge ald we e cap i a ed by
he
«Zolaesque
sys em» which bo h ied
in
h
ei
own
way
o
ollow.
Bo h
may ha e been imp essed
by he ealism
o Zola,
bu
No is'
au hen ic ealism appealed o Fi zge ald mo e; no
he k
in
d
o
« ic ion ha con ines i sel o he ype
o
no mal li e,» no he « ealism
o
he gcn
ee
l,
o
he d awing oom,» no he «d ama
o
a b oken eacup.»
To
No is,
«de ails, ga he ed h ough
ex
pe ience, close
ob
se a ions, and ha d wo k, objec i ied
eali y.»27 The au hen ici y
o
ealism app ehend
ed
h ough ali he imp essions
o
sense epi omized in
No is'
wo k cap i a
ed
Fi zge ald's empe amen .
24.
F anklin
Walke
, F ank No is: A Biog aphy, p. 85.
25. lbid., p. 81.
26. Fi zge ald
's
l
e
e
o
John
O'
Ha a
da ed
July
25,
1936.
Rep oduced
in
The Lel e s,
ed.
Tu nbu
ll, p. 545.
27.
William
B.
Dillingham,
F ank No is: lns in
c1
and
An,
(Linco
ln
: Uni e si y
o
Neb aska
P
ess,
196
9)
, p. 128.
82 Sa yam
S.
Moo y
The
ealism
o
McTeague opened new is as and «laid
ba e
a sec ion
o
Ame ican
li e whe e he ic ion w i e had sca cely e e hough o p obe,
andina
spi i and
manne
al oge he new - he spi i and manne
o
he ana omis .»
28
Fi zge ald in his iew
o
B ass,
by
Cha les No is, made a special e e ence o he elde b o he 's
wo k
and ook he l
ibe y
o poin ou ha F ank No is in M cT eague had gi en an ai
o
au hen ici y
by
appealing
« o
he sense
o
smell
o o hea ing
a he han by he commone o m
o
wo d pain ing.»
29
The
ex ensi e documen a ion
in
The Beau i ul and Damned employed
by
Fi zge ald, pa icula ly
in he sec ion ela ed o he discussion
o
Glo ia' s dia y, o Iend au hen ici y o he na a i
e
is simila , as a de ice, o he one in No is' Vando e and he B u e. This me hod is
pe ec ed
in Tende Is he Nigh
in
he discussion
o Nicole's
le e s. Fi zge ald con essed
o
Max
Pe kins ha he d unken scenes and ali he ealism in This Side
o
Pa adise «migh
ha e
been w i en by No is.» Mos
o
wha Fi zge ald w o e was ue
o his
imes and he
places
in which
he
li ed.
To
label Fi zge ald as he social his o ian
o
heJ
azz
Age
is
hus
no
un ai ,
no does
i
obscu e his me i s.
I
is,
in
ac , a ibu e
o
his
powe s
o
sha p and
acu e
obse a ion
anda
se ious commi
men
o a ealis ic p esen a ion
o
he socially signi ican
de ail.
AsJohn
O
'Ha a
has pi hily ema ked,
in
This Si
de
o
Pa adise « he people we e igh ,
he alk was igh , he clo hes, he ca s we e eal... »·
'°The
au hen ici y ha Fi zge ald
longed
o andsough a e , o which
he
showe ed encomiums on McTeague, is ealized
in
his
eiy
i s no el. Bo h No is and Fi zge ald el he u h
o
de ail, deside a um
o
ealism,
and
s ong con ic ion in ac as he ul ima e way o u h, essen ial.
Themsel es
in
he line
o
he nine een h cen u y Ame ican ealis s beginning
wi h
Ma k Twain, No is and Fi zge ald placed a high alue on «expe ience» and hey
espec ed
he «au ho who w o e wha he knew,» «F om Twain o Hemingway he e is clea ly
disce nible his adi ion which alues abo e almos ali else he au ho 's ue knowledge
o
wha he is alking abou .»
31
No is made impassioned and o h igh pleas
o
au ho ial
in eg i y o he s ongly belie ed ha only w i e s
o
in ellec ual in eg i y and hones y c
ould
w i e g ea books. Fi zge ald ga e simila
ad
ice
in
chas ising Sco ie in one
o
bis le e s-
«
...
you ha e
o
ha e you
own
ences o
jump
and
lea n om expe ience.»32
And
again,
«Don'
y
o be wi y in he w i ing, unless
i 's
na u al-
jus
ue and eal.»
33
Ob iously,
Fi zge ald wan ed in eg i y and since i y in w i ing.
28
. E nes Ma chand, p. 50.
29.
Re iewo
B ass, by Cha les No is,
Th
e Bookman, 54, No.
3(No embe 19
21),253-
254. Quo ed
by
John Kuehl
in
his «Sco Fi zge ald's C i ica! Opinions,» 3-18. Rep in ed in
P o i/e
o
F. Sco Fi zge ald, compiled by Ma hew J. B uccoli, p. 26.
30
. John
O'Ha a,
«In Memo y
o
Sco Fi zge ald:
II
-Ce ain Aspec s,»
New
Repuhlic.
104 (1941), 311.
31. Dillingham, opus ci ., p. 129.
32. Tu nbull, The Le e s. Le e om Sco Fi zge ald o his daugh e , Oc obe 20,
1936,
p.
11.
33. Ihid. Le e da ed July 7, 1938, p. 35.
F ank No is and F. Sco
Fi zge ald as Roman ic Rebels
83
Ye , hough he adop ed ealis ic echniques and
me hod
s
in
his no els and sho
s o ies, Fi zge ald, like No is, emained p ima ily a
oman ic
a hea . «
...
Fi zge ald
was among he
wi
ldes
o
he oman ics, bu he was
al
so
amo
ng he ew Ame icans who
ied, like S endhal
in
F ance, o make he omance eal
by
showing i s causes and i s
consequences ...
»
34
Wha his own oman ic s
el
longed
o
- « ame, money, and he
gi
l
» (Zelda Say e)
-wa
s accomplished, hough pain ully
a
imes. His own li e was
mo
s ly a oman ic d eam li
ke
he d eam
o
Jay Ga sby;
bu
wha Ga sby could no
magni icen ly possess Fi zge ald
co
uld sadly own and enjoy.
The oman ic's agic sense
o li e
in o ms Fi zge ald
's
wo k. His ea ly wo k,
pa icula ly, e lec s he impo ance
o
his sensa ions a
nd
eelings and his abili y o
exp ess hem wi h hones y. This Side
o
Pa adise, hough conside ed a pa chy and
a
i
s ically imma u e wo k, does e ea) wha P o e
sso
Eb
le no es: «Fi zge ald, like
mos oman ics, ended o endow expe ience wi h max
imum
emo ion long a e he
e en and
a e
he oman ic imagina ion had had
ime
o colo and in ensi y he
expe ience.»35
By Fi zge ald's own admission, his ideal among he English Roman ics was
John
Ke
a s. The e a e nume ous e e ences o Kea s
in
Fi zge ald's wo ks. I was
K
ca s'
Ode o a Nig
h
ingale ha umished Fi zge ald bo h wi h i
l
e and epig aph. The
chi
e
ai
o
ealis
s
like Howells, namely, he eco ding
o
obse a ion whe he
o
hei own souls o
o
he wo ld ou side, is also a ea
u
e
o
he oman ics and hei
a i ude; hey we e passiona ely e e en ial
o
ac - he men al ac as well as he
ph
ysical, whe he i was Shel l
ey'
s ealism
o
obse
a ion
o
social ac o Wo dswo h 's
g asp
o
he common man
's
idiom. This pa ly ex
plain
s why Fi zge ald ado ed
oman ics, pa icula ly Kea s.
The
emo ional exhaus ion e iden in he la e wo k
o
Fi zge ald was pe haps
due o
he s enuous and se ious d ain on him, somewha pa allel o Kea s' condi ion
when he ca ne
o«
Hype ion» a e he g ea Odes. «I ha e asked a lo
o
my emo ions,»
said Fi zge ald, «one hund ed and wen y s o ies.
The
p ice was high, igh
up
wi h
Kipling, be
ca
use he e was one li le d op o some hing -no blood,
no a
ea , no my
seed, bu me mo e in ima ely han hese, in e e y s o y, i was he ex a I had. Now
i
h
as
gone and 1
amjus
like you now.»36 I is pe haps Fi zge ald
's
oman ic ecs asy and
agon
y,
and his oman ic c ack-up.
No is a gued
as
a oman ic ha iolen and bi
za
e ac ion, exo
i
c and s ange
locales, he
li
e
o
passion, he
Ji
e
o
he low and allen, he g ea o ces unde lying
34
. Malcolm Cowl
ey
, «
Thi d
Ac
andEpi
logue.» O iginally publish
ed
in
TheNew
Yo ke
(June 30. 1945). Rep odu
ced
inF.Sco
Fi :ge ald: A collec ion
o C
i
ica/ Essays. ed. by A hu
Mizen
e
(Englewood C
li
s, N.J.: P en ic
e-
Hall, Inc., 1963), p. 66.
35. Kenne h Eble, F. Sc
o
Fi zge a/d (New Yo k: Twayne Publishe s, 1
96
3). p. 48.
36. Malcolm Cowley, «
Thi d
Ac and Epil
ogue,
»
p.
67.