"The diamond as big as the Ritz" and other stories
(Book)

Through his brilliant tales of the doings of rich and glamorous characters during the Roaring Twenties, F. Scott Fitzgerald won a reputation as the quintessential Jazz Age writer. His portrayals of the manners and morals behind the pursuit of material wealth depict frenzied, intoxicating quests that inevitably result in a miasma of disillusionment and cynicism. Fitzgerald's mastery of the short-story form is amply evident in this selection of six of his finest short tales, chosen from two collections: Flappers and Philosophers (1920) and Tales of the Jazz Age (1922). Included are "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz," a glittering fantasy about the corrupting power of wealth; "The Ice Palace," a semiautobiographical tale of a transplanted Southern belle who yearns to alter the sleepy sameness of her existence; and four others: "Bernice Bobs Her Hair," "May Day," "The Jelly-bean," and "The Offshore Pirate." Although their action unfolds among the smart set in the years immediately following the First World War, these stories involve timeless human concerns: love, money, power, the search for happiness, and the death of illusion. Now students and other readers can study and savor Fitzgerald's unique perspective on such matters in this inexpensive treasury of short fiction.