01/08,09/20 — Block

Post date: Jan 07, 2020 1:7:15 PM

Homework:

1. Finish any work that you still need to do for your Fitzgerald letter.

Outcome Goals:

1. Write a letter to Fitzgerald's agent in order to explore the relationship between Fitzgerald and is work and to exercise your expository writing "muscles."

First Thing:

1. Get a Chromebook

2. Go to Google Classroom and take the open note quiz on F. Scott Fitzgerald's biography

3. Turn in your notes

4. Start reading Chapter 1 of The Great Gatsby

Agenda:

1. Go back to F. Scott Fitzgerald biography and read what I've added to the Alcoholism and Death Section

2. Go to Google Classroom and open the document in the Fitzgerald's Letter to His Editor assignment, and then...

3. As Fitzgerald, write a letter of 200 to 250 words to your editor, explaining how your life has been affected by your work, and vice versa.

Imagine it's the early 1930s and the best years are behind you, though you're still enjoying some success. Also imagine that your editor doesn't already know everything about your life. (A tall order, I know.)

I'm the first one to admit that the Fitzgeralds had an incredibly tumultuous life, but I don't want that to dampen their literary achievements (Zelda was a writer, too, you know, and might've really made something of herself if not for her illness). If anything, I think it's more impressive that F. Scott Fitzgerald was able to write as well as he did, with everything he was going through. The poor guy. He had a lot on his plate.

What must that have been like?

4. In this activity, I want you to put yourself in Fitzgerald's shoes just for a moment.

As Fitzgerald, write a letter to your editor, explaining how your life has been affected by your work, and vice versa. Imagine it's the early 1930s and the best years are behind you, though you're still enjoying some success. Also imagine that your editor doesn't already know everything about your life. (A tall order, we know.)

In your letter, cover the following topics:

Fitzgerald's childhood and education. What effect did his upbringing and social status have on his view of the world, and how did these things change as he grew up and went to Princeton?

His marriage to Zelda. Zeld was wild, crazy, and, more often than not, his muse. Do you think she helped his writing, or was there a point when her influence began to hurt his literary career?

His alcoholism. Okay. Let's talk about the elephant in the room: the drinking. It's no secret that Fitzgerald's fondness for drink led to his heart attack, but being the great writer that he was, he must've had some complicated feelings about it.

Here's an example of what I'm looking for:

Dear Max,

Received your letter marked May the 3rd today. Wanted to write you with an update on the manuscript at hand. To wit: there isn't one. Of late, I've had to manage some personal affairs, and I must confess that things with Zelda have taken a turn for the worse. You'll remember the scene she made at the party last fortnight? Anyway, it's taken all my time away from writing.

5. Turn the letter in to Google Classroom

6. Start reading Chapter 1