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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - F. Scott Fitzgerald, Part 1

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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - September 29, 2002: F. Scott Fitzgerald, Part 1

By Richard Thorman


VOICE 1:
I'm Shirley Griffith.
VOICE 2:
And I'm Steve Ember with the Special English program, People in America. Every week we tell about someone


important in the history of the United1 States. Today we tell about writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.

 

VOICE 1:

Early in nineteen-twenty, the American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald was poor and unknown.
He was twenty-four years old. The girl he wanted to marry had rejected him. Her family
said he could not support her.

Later that same year, Fitzgerald's first novel, "This Side of Paradise2," was accepted for
publication3. He said that when the news arrived in the mail: "I left my job. I paid my
debts5, bought a suit of clothes and woke in the morning to a world of promise."

He quickly became rich and famous. That year before "This Side of Paradise" was published, he said he earned
eight-hundred dollars by writing. The following year, with his first book published, he earned eighteen-thousand
dollars by writing.

Yet by the time F. Scott Fitzgerald died in nineteen-forty, at the age of forty-four, his money was gone, and so
was his fame. Most people could not believe that he had not died years before.

The problem was that he was so much a part of the age he described, the "Roaring6 Twenties." So when the period
ended people thought he must have ended with it.

VOICE 2:

The nineteen-twenties began with high hopes. World War One, the "war to end all wars," was over. The twenties
ended with a huge drop in stock7 market prices that began the Great Depression8. Fitzgerald was a representative9 of
the years of fast living in between.

The nation's values had changed. Many Americans were concerned mainly with having a good time. People
broke the law by drinking alcohol10. They danced to jazz music. Women wore short skirts.

Money differences between one group of Americans and another had become sharper at the beginning of the
twentieth century. By the nineteen-twenties, many people believed that gaining the material things one desired
could bring happiness. F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote about the lives of people who lived as if that were true.

VOICE 1:

There was more to Fitzgerald than a desire for material things. "The test of a first-rate intelligence," he said, "is
the ability to hold two opposed11 ideas in the mind at the same time, and still have the ability to act." His two
opposing12 ideas involved seeking happiness from material things, and knowing that material things only brought
unhappiness.

Of his own time, he said: "There seemed no question about what was going to happen. America was going on the
greatest party in its history and there was going to be plenty to tell about." Yet if he described only the party, his
writings would have been forgotten when the party ended.


"All the stories that came into my head," he said, "had a touch of unhappiness in them. The lovely young women
in my stories were ruined, the diamond mountains exploded. In life these things had not happened yet. But I was
sure that living was not the careless business that people thought."

Fitzgerald was able to experience the wild living of the period yet write about its effect on people as though he
were just an observer13. That is a major reason his writings still are popular.

((Music))

VOICE 2:

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in the middle-western city of Saint14 Paul, Minnesota. He grew up there. In
his mother's family there were Southern landowners and politicians15. The member of the family for whom he was
named had written the words to "The Star Spangled Banner," America's national song.

His father was a businessman who did not do well. Scott went to free public schools and, when he was fifteen, a
costly16 private school where he learned17 how the rich lived.

When F. Scott Fitzgerald was seventeen, he entered Princeton University.

VOICE 1:

Fitzgerald was not a good student. He spent more time writing for school plays and magazines at Princeton than
studying. His poor record troubled him less than the fact that he was not a good enough athlete to be on the
university's football team.

University officials warned18 him he had to do better in his studies or he would be expelled19. So he decided20 to leave
the university after three years to join the United States Army. It was World War One, but the war ended before
he saw active duty. He met his future wife while he was at one of the bases where he trained. The girl, Zelda
Sayre, was a local beauty in the southern city of Montgomery, Alabama. She and Fitzgerald agreed to marry.
Then she rejected him when her family said that Fitzgerald could not give her the life she expected.

VOICE 2:

Fitzgerald was crushed21. He went to New York City in nineteen-nineteen with two goals. One was to make a lot of
money. The other was to win the girl he loved.

He rewrote and completed a novel that he had started in college. The book, "This Side of Paradise," was
published in nineteen-twenty. It was an immediate22 success.

Fitzgerald told his publisher that he did not expect more than twenty-thousand copies of the book to be sold. The
publisher laughed and said five-thousand copies of a first novel would be very good. Within one week, however,
twenty-thousand copies of the book were sold.

At twenty-four, Fitzgerald was famous and rich. A week after the novel appeared Scott and Zelda were married.

F. Scott Fitzgerald had gained the two goals he had set for himself.
At this point the fairy tale should end with the expression: "They lived happily ever
after." But that was not to be the ending for the Fitzgeralds.

VOICE 1:

Fitzgerald is reported to have said to his friend, the American writer Ernest

Scott and Zelda on their

Hemingway: "The very rich are different from you and me." Hemingway is reported honeymoon23
to have answered, "Yes, they have more money." The exchange tells a great deal (Photo - Library of Congress)
about each writer. Hemingway saw a democratic24 world where people were measured by their ability, not by what
they owned. Fitzgerald saw the deep differences between groups of people that money creates. He decided to be
among the rich.

To do this he sold short stories to magazines and, when he had time, continued to write novels. He also continued



to live as though his life was one long party.
For several years he was successful at everything. Editors paid more for a story by Fitzgerald than by any other
writer. And he sold everything he wrote. Some stories were very good. He wrote very fast, though. So some


stories were bad. Even the bad ones, however, had a spirit and a life that belonged to Fitzgerald. As soon as he
had enough good stories he collected them in a book.
VOICE 2:
Fitzgerald quickly learned that a life of partying all the time did not help him write his best. But he could not give


up the fun.


Scott and Zelda lived in New York City. He drank too much. She spent too much money. He promised himself to
live a less costly life. Always, however, he spent more than he earned from writing.
In addition to the individual stories, two collections of his stories, "Flappers and Philosophers25" and "Tales of the


Jazz Age," appeared in nineteen-twenty and nineteen-twenty-two. A second novel, "The Beautiful and Damned,"
also was published in nineteen-twenty-two.

VOICE 1:
The novel was well received, but it was nothing like the success of his first novel. Fitzgerald was unhappy with
the critics26 and unhappy with the money the book earned. He and his wife moved to France with their baby
daughter. They made many friends among the Americans who had fled27 to Paris. But they failed to cut their living
costs.

Fitzgerald was always in debt4. He owed28 money to his publisher and the man who helped to sell his writings. In
his stories he says repeatedly29 that no one can have everything. He seemed to try, though. It looked for a brief time
like he might succeed.

VOICE 2:

Fitzgerald continued to be affected30 by the problems that would finally kill him: the drinking and the debts. Yet by
nineteen-twenty-five his best novel, "The Great Gatsby," was published.
It is the story of a young man's search for his idea of love. It also is a story of what the young man must do to win

that love before he discovers that it is not worth having.
Next week we shall discuss this important novel. And we shall tell you about the rest of Fitzgerald's short life.
(Theme)
VOICE 1:
This People in America program was written by Richard Thorman and produced by Lawan Davis. I'm Shirley


Griffith.
VOICE 2:
And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week as we conclude31 the story of the life of writer F. Scott Fitzgerald in


Special English on the Voice of America.

 

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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 united Yfmz2c     
adj.和谐的;团结的;联合的,统一的
参考例句:
  • The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
  • The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。
2 paradise KKJxT     
n.伊甸乐园,天堂
参考例句:
  • My house had a small backyard,the paradise of children.我那幢房子有一个小后院,那是孩子们玩耍的乐园。
  • On a hot day a dip in the sea is sheer paradise.热天洗个海水澡是十分令人惬意的事。
3 publication xScxx     
n.出版,发行;出版;公布,发表
参考例句:
  • They don't think this article is suitable for publication.他们认为这篇文章不宜发表。
  • The government has delayed publication of the trade figures.政府已将贸易统计数字延后公布。
4 debt yO7zW     
n.债务,义务,负债状态,罪,过失
参考例句:
  • The man was pressed to pay off his debt.那人被逼还债。
  • The firm had to charge off the debt as hopeless.公司只得把那笔没希望要回的债务注销。
5 debts 99b301d932fa34f1e7ca1318719eb541     
债( debt的名词复数 ); 负债情况; 人情债; 情义
参考例句:
  • They were behindhand in settling their debts. 他们没有及时还清债务。
  • I need to pay off all my debts before I leave the country. 我得在离开该国前偿清所有债务。
6 roaring 9jxzmk     
n.吼声;咆哮;怒号;轰鸣adj.兴旺的;喧哗的;风哮雨嚎的adv.非常地v.怒吼,咆哮,大声喊出( roar的现在分词)
参考例句:
  • juggernauts roaring through country villages 隆隆驶过村庄的重型卡车
  • All we could hear was the sound of roaring water. 我们只能听到汹涌澎湃的涛声。
7 stock luiwR     
n.存货,储备;树干;血统;股份;家畜;adj.存货的;平凡的,惯用的;股票的;畜牧的;vt.进货,采购;储存;供给;vi.出新芽;进货
参考例句:
  • The shop takes stock every week on Friday mornings.这家商店每星期五早晨盘点存货。
  • Experts have forecast an upturn in the stock market.专家已预测股票市场价格有上升趋势。
8 depression 7mFzB     
n.压抑,抑制,沮丧;萧条,衰退
参考例句:
  • During a depression money circulates slowly.在商业萧条时期,货币流通滞缓。
  • He suffers from acute depression.他患有严重的忧郁症。
9 representative bVOxW     
n.代表,众议员,典型;adj.描写的,表现的,代理的,代表性的,代议制的,典型的
参考例句:
  • He is a representative for a large steel company.他是一家大型钢铁公司的代理人。
  • We have a representative sample.我们有一个代表性的样品。
10 alcohol AxCzB     
n.酒精,乙醇;含酒精的饮料
参考例句:
  • The law forbids shops to sell alcohol to minors.法律禁止商店向未成年者出售含酒精的饮料。
  • The alcohol is industrial.这些酒精是供工业用的。
11 opposed lmezik     
vt.和…起冲突;和敌军起冲突;反抗,抗拒;相对:放在某事物对面以对比或平衡vi.对抗,对立adj.强烈反对某事物的;(表示对比)而,相对于;相反的;敌对的
参考例句:
  • The development was bitterly opposed by the local community. 这一开发项目遭到了当地社区的愤怒抵制。
  • We hold diametrically opposed views. 我们的观点大相径庭。
12 opposing kmLziR     
adj.反作用的;反向的;相反的;对立的v.反对
参考例句:
  • The two opposing armies faced each other across the battlefield. 敌对两军在战场上严阵对峙。
  • She earned a black mark for opposing company policy. 她因反对公司政策而得到考绩不良评语。
13 observer 0RMzQ     
n.观察家,观察的人,观察员
参考例句:
  • I can see you're a careful reader as well as a careful observer.我能看出你既是一位细心的读者,又是一位观察者。
  • I want to attend the conference only as an observer.本人只作为观察员身份参加会议。
14 saint yYcxf     
n.圣徒;基督教徒;vt.成为圣徒,把...视为圣徒
参考例句:
  • He was made a saint.他被封为圣人。
  • The saint had a lowly heart.圣人有谦诚之心。
15 politicians a111c6d460e32da7d12a7b9b920904c8     
政治家( politician的名词复数 ); 政客,玩弄权术者
参考例句:
  • Politicians are ultimately accountable to the voters. 从政者最终是向选民负责。
  • backstairs deals between politicians 政客之间的幕后交易
16 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
17 learned m1oxn     
adj.有学问的,博学的;learn的过去式和过去分词
参考例句:
  • He went into a rage when he learned about it.他听到这事后勃然大怒。
  • In this little village,he passed for a learned man.在这个小村子里,他被视为有学问的人。
18 warned 47ff9951b01a6b094431ff82dc68e266     
v.警告( warn的过去式和过去分词 );提醒;告诫;预先通知
参考例句:
  • Motorists have been warned to beware of icy roads. 已经提醒开车的人当心冰封的路面。
  • I've warned her countless times. 我警告过她无数次了。
19 expelled 7a860966115182402ed06375cf0a22af     
驱逐( expel的过去式和过去分词 ); 赶走; 把…除名; 排出
参考例句:
  • She was expelled from school at 15. 她15岁时被学校开除了。
  • After the outbreak of fighting,all foreign journalists were expelled. 战斗开始后,所有的外国记者都被驱逐出境。
20 decided lvqzZd     
adj.决定了的,坚决的;明显的,明确的
参考例句:
  • This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
  • There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
21 crushed 8v6zDH     
a.压碎的,倒碎的
参考例句:
  • The car was completely crushed under the truck. 小轿车被卡车压得完全变形了。
  • The box was crushed when the car ran over it. 汽车辗过箱子时把它给压碎了。
22 immediate aapxh     
adj.立即的;直接的,最接近的;紧靠的
参考例句:
  • His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
  • We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。
23 honeymoon ucnxc     
n.蜜月(假期);vi.度蜜月
参考例句:
  • While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。
  • The happy pair are leaving for their honeymoon.这幸福的一对就要去度蜜月了。
24 democratic uwSxu     
adj.民主的;民主主义的,有民主精神的
参考例句:
  • Their country has democratic government.他们国家实行民主政体。
  • He has a democratic work-style.他作风民主。
25 philosophers 1398e59971d6b0278c380f564efaa0c8     
n.哲学家( philosopher的名词复数 );豁达的人
参考例句:
  • Philosophers sometimes overweight their negativism. 哲学家往往偏重于否定态度。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Strictly speaking, they shouldn't be called philosophers, but rather 'philophilosophers.' 严格讲起来,他们不该叫哲学家Philophilosophers,该叫‘哲学家学家’philophilosophers.” 来自汉英文学 - 围城
26 critics beed47330706a73deea03da654a5781f     
n.批评家( critic的名词复数 );评论员;批评者;挑剔的人
参考例句:
  • He felt no animosity towards his critics. 他对批评他的人并不心怀怨恨。
  • The move was widely seen as an attempt to appease critics of the regime. 普遍认为,这一举措是试图安抚批评政权的人。
27 fled Uj8xf     
v.逃走,逃掉( flee的过去式和过去分词 );逃离,逃避
参考例句:
  • The robbers fled empty-handed. 抢劫犯一无所获地逃走了。
  • He had fled from France at the time of the persecution. 他在大迫害时期逃离了法国。 来自《简明英汉词典》
28 owed d8aea03e0a2a7e49a90d3d62728feafe     
v.感激( owe的过去式和过去分词 );应把…归功于;欠…债;(对位高权重者)忠诚
参考例句:
  • I'd completely forgotten about the money he owed me. 我完全记不得他欠我的钱了。
  • He gave me a lot of help.I owed much to him. 他给我许多帮助,我非常感激他。 来自《简明英汉词典》
29 repeatedly RkAzVA     
adv.重复地,再三地
参考例句:
  • The loudspeakers blared the speech repeatedly.扬声器里反复大声地播送那篇演讲。
  • He repeatedly beat his foot upon the floor.他反复用脚敲着地板。
30 affected TzUzg0     
adj.不自然的,假装的
参考例句:
  • She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
  • His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。
31 conclude xpNzq     
vt.结束时说;(经推理)相信;达成;vi.结束,终结
参考例句:
  • From the evidence I must conclude that you are wrong.从证据看,我敢断定你错了。
  • I would like to conclude with a few points.我想用几点来做个结论。

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