This Side of Paradise

This Side of Paradise (1920) is a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. It was Fitzgerald’s first novel and became an instant hit, launching Fitzgerald into literary fame for its social commentary on a younger generation fueled by indulgence and materialism. This Side of Paradise is also a historical depiction of the Jazz Age, like Fitzgerald’s most famous novel, The Great Gatsby.

This Side of Paradise follows Amory Blaine’s coming of age during prep school and four years at Princeton. Over time, Amory loses his romantic outlook on life and matures into a man who views the world through a lens of disappointment and disillusionment. Fitzgerald uses Amory’s development to discuss love and money’s impact on relationships while also exposing the dark side of the Jazz Age.

This guide refers to the 1995 Scribner Paperback Fiction paperback edition.

Content Warning: The source text discusses attempted death by suicide.

Plot Summary

In Book 1, Amory Blaine spends much of his childhood traveling the country with his mother, Beatrice. At 13, Amory lives with his aunt and uncle in Minneapolis for two years. He attends school there and has difficulty getting along with the other students, who find him snobbish and arrogant. When Amory returns home to Lake Geneva, he begs Beatrice to send him away for preparatory school.