Beautiful and Damned

The Beautiful and Damned written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, widely regarded as one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, whose works are the paradigmatic writings of the Jazz Age, a term he coined. Set in New York City, the book tells the story of Anthony Patch, a socialite who thinks of himself as a refined aesthete. He marries the impressively beautiful Gloria and they both lead a luxurious life, travelling from one place to another and spending money irresponsibly while waiting to inherit the great fortune of Anthony's grandfather. Most of the narrative is about the life of emptiness and purposelessness led by the couple whose sole vocation is to dream of spending the money that they have not earned. Their marriage starts to deteriorate mainly because of this general lack of purpose, but also because of the couple's addiction to alcohol and idleness. The story also features other characters representing the generation of the Jazz Age. It turns out that the only character who seems to be confident and sure of his choices and objectives in life is Anthony's grandfather who represents the previous generation and whose principles are clearly juxtaposed by the author with the adrift life of younger characters.