Modern Classics Flappers and Philosophers: The Collected Short Stories Of F Scott Fitzgerald (Penguin F. Scott Fitzgerald Hardback Collection)

Item arrived in perfect condition. I like but don't love the stories.

Published in 1920, “Flappers and Philosophers” was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s first collection of short stories. First appearing separately in such magazines at The Saturday Evening Post and Esquire, these eight stories were collected and published the same year has his first novel, This Side of Paradise. It was the novel that turned Fitzgerald into an overnight literary sensation – and at age 24. But it was the short stories that he continued to write for the rest of his life that supported him financially. The stories are generally about people in the upper middle and upper classes. They’re set in the first two decades of the 20th century and are something of period pieces – the slang, the music references, and social manners mark them with their time. Two of the stories, “The Offshore Pirate” and “The Ice Palace,” also contain references that today, 100 years after their publication, could only be called racist. “The Offshore Pirate” is about a young woman who is bored with life and chooses only the worst men, whose uncle and guardian is at his wits end to marry her off (and make someone else responsible for her). She’s agreeably kidnapped on her uncle’s yacht by a young irate who, with his band of musicians, is making off with a stolen fortune. “The Ice Palace” is about a young woman from the South who’s determined to escape her town (and the young men it contains) and marry a Northerner. She almost gets her wish. “Head and Shoulders” concerns what seem to be a highly mismatched couple, a brainy man who exists only for the study of his books and a stage actress. They’ll end up changing positions. “The Cut-Glass Bowl” is the story of a woman of fading beauty mirrors the decline in the family wealth. “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” is set right at the beginning of the flapper age. A young woman visiting her cousin undergoes something of a “Pygmalion” change at the hands of the cousin, whose verbal cruelty will eventually get its comeuppance. “Benediction” is something of an abrupt change of subject – a young woman visits the brother she hasn’t seen for 17 years – the brother who is studying to become a Jesuit priest. During the visit, she has an unexpected experience. “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong” is about a war hero from the Great War who comes home to adulation which quickly fades. He takes something of a menial job, until he realizes that burglary might be more lucrative. And “The Four Fists” is the story of a young men who’s punched in the jaw on four separate occasions of his life – and each punch teaches him something important. The collection is eight very different stories, showing Fitzgerald at the very beginning of his literary career. Each has something of a surprising twist. And each has characters who are recognizable, even at a distance of a century.

I might be being overgenerous here, but I so enjoyed these stories. This is Fitzgerald's first collection, and while they may lack the substance matter of his later works, there's such grace, elegance and beauty here, albeit somewhat ephemeral. More flappery than philosophical, certainly. And yet, these 8 tales perfectly encompass the zeitgeist of the 1920s, dealing with mainly flirting, dating, romance, but occasionally more profound subjects too, such as choosing one's path, whether it is presented, guided along or beaten into one, literally. For sheer reading pleasure this is a literary equivalent of a marshmallow or something equally light, pleasant and delicious. It's absolutely worth reading just to temporary armchair travel to a different era. Utterly charming. Sincerely recommended.

This collection of Scott Fitzgerald's short stories was dedicated to Zelda. The book contains the following titles: The Offshore Pirate The Ice Palace Head and Shoulders The Cut-Glass Bowl Bernice Bobs Her Hair Benediction Dalyrimple Goes Wrong The Four Fists With the exception of THE OFFSHORE PIRATE, THE CUT GLASS BOWL, and my personal favorite, BERNICE BOBS HER HAIR, it's hard for me to reconcile a Fitzgerald that penned THE GREAT GATSBY to the Fitzgerald of mediocre short stories found here.

I find Flappers and Philosophers a fun and charming. It is a collection of very different types of romance. Having no knowledge of the construction of the book and no physical volume as hint about the length. I did not expect the Offshore Pirate, my favorite story in the collection, to end where it did. The result was a wonderful surprise at the plot twist I would otherwise have guessed. (I have long since learned not to read book descriptions just to leave myself at the mercy of surprise.) It was a romantic journey as impacting as first love.

Nice crispy copy of his short stories. Had never read them, was surprised at thickness of book! Thrilled with the colorful cover! Love the author so not surprised at how great the stories are! Great price for great literature... Buy and enjoy.

It's difficult to write a review for this collection of short stories. The last six short stories are very well written, although not always politically correct by today's standards. (These stories were written in the 1920's, after all.) It's the first two short stories that brought this review down. The Offshore Pirate begins this collection. The dialog is horrible, the characters are cliché, and the whole story feels like it was written by an amateur. In fact, I almost stopped reading this collection after this first story. The Offshore Pirate is worth two stars at best. The next story, The Ice Palace, is much better. It also feels like it was lifted straight out of Zelda Fitzgerald's diary. During his lifetime, F Scott Fitzgerald had been accused of using his wife's diary for "inspiration" on several occasions. His is quoted with saying, "plagiarism begins at home." Whether or not this is true with this short story, I'm not sure. However, it is clear that Zelda Fitzgerald is the inspiration behind the protagonist in this story. It's a good story. I'm just unclear who should be getting credit for it. The last six stories felt like original works, worth four or five stars each, so this collection is worth reading. I'd say these stories are suitable for older teens to adults due to mild language and content.

If you’ve read ‘Gatsby’ then you already know what a wonderful writer Fitzgerald is. Here we have 640 pages of short stories – they cover 45 tales and the page range is from 40 per tale, to as little as 6 pages per tale. The book is presently beautifully and is not expensive to buy. I have the hard back version. The book and stories are split into three time frames, from several of his books, which includes both novellas and most of his short stories. The time frames are: 1920 - 1922, 1926 – 1935 and 1937 – 1940, so between the wars if you like, covering such historical events as: The Jazz Age The Industrial Revolution & The Great Depression I have read four of the longer stories thus far - all immensely interesting and perfectly put together. It remains on my coffee table to pick up a will. It is just perfect if you have an hour to kill and don’t want to waste it! A perfect book should you like to read for an hour or so before nodding off to get your beauty sleep. I am going to enjoy this book for a long while yet.

Flappers and Philosophers (in italiano Maschiette e filosofi) è stata la prima raccolta di racconti di F. Scott Fitzgerald pubblicata nel 1920. Comprende otto racconti in cui viene descritta la vita dei giovani desiderosi di sottrarsi alle regole imposte dalla tradizione ai tempi dell'età del jazz.

Writing aside, the cover is beautiful. I gave it as a gift and it has been treasured.

Hey, if you like F Scott this is a winner! Love his stories and his history. Midnight in Paris is a great movie with his character in it as well!

Très beau livre, conforme à la photo.