Tender is the Night | A Tragic Action
In the following excerpt, Merrill discusses Fitzgerald as a tragic novelist.
We do not think of Scott Fitzgerald as a tragic novelist, but Fitzgerald’s novels are informed by what he once called “the wise and tragic sense of life.” In his notes and correspondence Fitzgerald refers to The Beautiful and Damned, Tender Is the Night, and The Last Tycoon as formal tragedies (successful or otherwise). “Show me a hero,” he once wrote, “and I will write you a tragedy.” Using Tender Is the Night as my example, I would like to illustrate the difference it makes to approach Fitzgerald’s novels as tragic actions . . .
I have...
[The entire page is 5444 words long]
Join eNotes
The above is a free excerpt. Get total access to this content with the:
Summary and Analysis – Themes – Characters – And much more...
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
Navigate
Related Topics
Tell a friend about Tender is the Night at eNotes.
