The Beautiful and Damned (original 1922; edition 2012)

This book has been sitting on my eReader for some time and with the latest adaptation for The Great Gatsby coming out soon, I decided to read this book.

I should note that I was aware that this novel was going to be looking at the themes of aimlessness and over-extravagance of the period. Despite knowing this, however, it was difficult to get into the novel. Like the characters, there's no sense of direction in the plot and nothing that kept me really interested in what was going on. Some sections could've been edited down and condensed.

It was also hard to root for the characters. Anthony and Gloria were both selfish and shallow and trying hard to be cool and sophisticated and beyond all of the usuals but in the end they’re just as lost as the whole generation, placing no value in anything and putting no effort until things got really bad. It was hard to feel any sympathy for them and their plight when things got bad.

I still look forward to reading Fitzgerald's other works but yeah, not sure how I managed to get through this novel. You could read my full review over at my blog: http://www.caffeinatedlife.net/blog/2013/04/17/review-the-beautiful-and-damned/ ( )

This was an intriguing read, but overall a very uneven novel; the three books feel very different in tone and theme, almost as if Fitzgerald were juggling so many issues without the ability to bring them fully into a narrative cohesion. There's a lot going on here: evocations of Freud and how the modern complexes are at variance with classical philosophy and aesthetic values; a fascinating portrayal of love and pain in Anthony and Gloria's relationship which plays out Fitzgerald's preoccupation with Hegel and Freud both; there is even some interesting dialogue that is very unique for blending different genres (e.g. screenplay, interior monologues, Greek tragedy, etc.).

What is perhaps most compelling in the novel is Fitzgerald's very overt pacifism, as well as his condemnation of the bourgeois class and the values associated with capital, money, and status -- values that run counter to art. Indeed, there is a nice tension between Anthony and his writer friend, Dick, about different kinds of art, how an artist can be bought and sold, how art can be catered to fit the needs of the masses and turn a profit instead of for the sake of art in and of itself. But all of these aspects, while compelling and beautifully drawn out, fail to speak to one another in a nice dialogue; the result is a very fragmented and scattered novel where many of the main characters aren't fleshed out enough, forcing the reader to view them as "types" and nothing more.

One brilliantly written chapter toward the end of book two, the longest one which takes place in the middle of the night and begins with Gloria's perspective and meanders through much of the philosophical and aesthetic debates above is Fitzgerald at his finest in this novel, I though, and the section might well stand on its own to illustrate his central concerns in the text and in his work more generally. ( )

Cautionary tale about depravity and decadence. Very flowery writing style which is hit-or-miss. Still pretty good, though. ( )

It's just no Great Gatsby. The descriptive power and fluid prose that I expect from Fitzgerald are still there, as is the commentary on the meaninglessness of daily existence, but the work lacks staying power. It just isn't a compelling read, and it doesn't leave you with a strong impression of its beauty the way that Gatsby does. ( )

Good Lord, Fitzgerald, you can write depression like nobody’s business. While I could never call The Beautiful and the Damned an enjoyable read, per se, I can definitely say that Fitzgerald is a master of character study. His portrayal of the downward spiral of Anthony and Gloria is just as wrenching today as it must have been in the twenties. How often do we see the mighty socialites fall; the tabloids are covered with such stories. Difference is, Fitzgerald writes about them beautifully. If you’ve ever known someone in the throes of alcoholism, you’ll recognize them in Anthony Patch. If you’ve ever known a woman (or man, I guess) who cannot let go of their youth, who has only one strength in the world — their beauty — and who loses it as they age, you know Gloria. You’ll even recognize others in the secondary characters — the suicidal Dot who can’t be without her man, the once-great author who starts to write shtick for cash, the groups of friends who party themselves into oblivion. It’s all here. And Fitzgerald’s beautiful, light, honest writing does it all justice. Nearly a hundred years later, The Beautiful and the Damned is just as relevant. ( )