The FitzgeraldsDenise Gersch, Ryan Kramer, Rosalia Preiss

F. Scott FitzgeraldFacts:

● Born September 24, 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

● Very Successful author who wrote The Great Gatsby.

● Coined the term Jazz Age.● Married to Zelda Fitzgerald.● Raised in a Catholic family.● Suffered alcoholism.

Became severe after his wife's second breakdown

● Experienced two heart attacks and passed away from his third on December 21, 1940 in Hollywood California.

His work:

Fitzgerald, being a successful author had problems throughout his life; he dealt with his father's addiction to gambling, alcoholism, his wife's hysteria, and heart problems. Despite his unending list of troubles he was still able to become one of the most well known authors who used his work as outlet which shows reflections of his life within the literature. This can be seen throughout Fitzgerald's last work Love of the Last Tycoon. This novel portrays the main character's want to live in California; not with his wife.○ The Great Gatsby,

touted as one of his best works!

Zelda FitzgeraldZelda Sayre Fitzgerald was born in

Montgomery, Alabama in 1900. Her father was a justice of the Supreme Court of Alabama. She began taking ballet as a child, and continued dancing throughout high school. From a young age, Zelda was very active socially and very carefree. After her marriage to F. Scott Fitzgerald, Zelda was a world traveller and was known as "the first American Flapper." Several years into her marriage with Scott, Zelda had her first mental breakdown. She became obsessed with ballet, and in 1930, was accepted to a sanatorium in France. After the publication, and subsequent flop, of her book, Save Me the Waltz, Zelda was recommitted to an institution. This time, she entered the Highland Hospital in Asheville. Zelda was in and out of the institution until her death in a tragic fire at the hospital in 1948. Zelda at age 16 in a

ballet costume.

The FitzgeraldsZelda was a beautiful, energetic, and

talented young woman who, like most women in her time period, did not know how to apply her abilities. She married Scott hoping that he would be able to lead her toward success, but she wound up really living in his shadow because although he had the ability to guide her, he was too caught up in his own career. They were both extraordinarily talented artists. Their marriage was unconventional; they were hedonists. They lived a luxurious life with everything from kinky outfits to alcohol.They had one daughter- Frances Scottie Fitzgerald. Although to some their marriage may seem false because they were both looking for marriage for the wrong reasons, (success and fulfilling the American dream,) they were madly in love throughout the 20's. In 1930 Zelda had her first metal breakdown, and her second, in 1932 was the one that she never really recovered from. They tried unsuccessfully in the early 30's to heal their marriage. This lost

effort led Scott further in alcoholism and Zelda into mental illness. Eventually Scott left the Pine Grove Inn, got another job, fell in love with another woman, and his visits to Zelda and Scottie became less and less frequent. Scott wrote a few more novels and then died of a heart attack, and Zelda died when her mental hospital burned to the ground.

The Fitzgeralds with their daughter, Frances Scottie.

Asheville ConnectionsWhile in Asheville, Scott was working

on what would be his final manuscript, The Love of the Last Tycoon. Zelda found this manuscript after his death, and sent the unfinished work to literary critic Edmund Wilson. During her time in Asheville, Zelda began writing her last book, Caesar's Things. She never really checked out of the hospital, and did not finish the manuscript before her death in the fire.

LEFT: Highland Hospital burning down in 1948 ABOVE: The Pine Grove Inn

When the two moved to Asheville, Scott had already been staying in the Pine Grove in but because of financial reasons decided to have Zelda moved to the Highland Hospital from a hospital in Baltimore for treatment for her schizophrenia. They spent some time close to each other; however, he left her for Hollywood to take a job with MGM and a new girlfriend. Asheville was basically when their marriage ended, everything went downhill, and they physically separated. Times in Asheville were times of attempts to heal their marriage. Although it was obviously falling apart, the two spent years trying to mend the holes caused by mental illness and alcohol.

Rosalia's Reflection of the Grove Park InnSo long he satamong these mountains,waiting for herto come back to lifeto come back to him these rocks gave him solaceas he sat on the terraceand looked towards the skyhe wished he hopedhe wrotebut he had to escape he couldn't wait any longer he wrote what he knew:a longing for freedomfor Californiafor death evenThe Love of the Last Tycoon,the love he had for her,it was good, and it was greatbut he couldn't remember anymore

Reflection of the Grove Park Inn(Ryan)

On your way to this landmark you will quickly notice in the distance a behemoth of a building overlooking the entire forest below it. Its beauty is something that can only be properly defined with a picture. Composed of stone this building was formed with its natural surroundings. Its body blending in with the mountains is conversely defined by its beautiful mushroom top roof. Built in only a year, the building occupies 53000 square feet of meeting space.

After parking you will soon realize the size of the Inn, towering 5 stories high, this building can be considered a mountain itself. Arriving to the building's entrance you walk between two monstrous wooden doors that give you the sense of royalty. Following your entrance you are greeted kindly by the members of the Grove Park Inn service that gives you a sense of belonging. After exploring for a few minutes you shortly realize exactly why Fitzgerald found the slightest bit of solace considering all the troubles of his life. The building itself gives a sense of warmth and comfort. The view is nothing but the most inspiring thing a human can experience and the sense of place in the world that it gives a human can only be described as absolute calmness. For once in your short, short life... Nothing else matters.

Denise's Reflection of the Grove Park InnIt is a gray day: not raining yet but as if it is about to. As we drive up to the road to the hotel,

the abnormal roof of the superstruction begins to emerge from the treetops. We round the last curve and the front of the hotel appears, it's like nothing I've ever seen before. Walking up to the front doors I notice the detail of the large rocks, all native stone and put in place in less than a year. Walking inside is an event on its own: the first thing I notice is a fireplace large enough for me to stand in. Although the hotel is beautiful, everything from the scent to the feel of the stone, nothing compares to the view when you walk through the lobby and look out over the terrace. A camera cannot even capture the magnificence the way you can look out into a valley. Little houses of multiples colors are nestled in the trees deep below me, and the clouds somehow look 10 fold better than they ever would from the

Piedmont. There are more mountains looming in the background, dividing the endless sky from the homely valley below. And the only way to describe the feeling I had while looking at the view is content.