The first work to discuss concerning the concept of decadence in the novels written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald is This Side of Paradise. It was not only the first novel written by Fitzgerald, but also his most popular work till his death in 1940. (Bruccoli158).(?) The analysis of the concept of decadence in This Side of Paradise applies mainly to the main protagonist, Amory Blanie. His character, behaviour and ideology is marked by degeneration, and immorality.
This Side of Paradise has a bildungsroman construction. The development of the main character, Amory Blaine, can be seen throughout the whole novel. At the beginning he is a vulnerable young boy, but getting older he gains experience and becomes a man. From “personality” he becomes a “personage”. He comes from an upper-class family. This makes him a representative of a “leisure” class, namely, this term refers to the social class which does not have to work as it gains fortune by inheritance. Wealth obtained in such a simple way is spend mostly on leisure activities, which in consequences leads people to degeneration (Pearl, 2005: 5). What is more, James claims that leisure is a source of femininity, and argues …show more content…
He takes some feminine qualities after Beatrice, namely, “self-indulgence, emotional excess and hysteria, self-absorption, a body with unseemly appetites and desires” (Pearl, 2005: 22). Such relationship between mother and son is based on Freudian psychology, where the lack of father’s presence is an important factor in shaping son’s personality and sexuality (Bui, 2013: 1). Amory’s views on gender roles and attitude towards traditional values is shaped by his mother’s modern beliefs. Freudian psychology had a significant impact on 1920s people’s views on life, sexuality and upbringing. These areas of psychological interest gained more liberated and non-standard
This Side of Paradise has a bildungsroman construction. The development of the main character, Amory Blaine, can be seen throughout the whole novel. At the beginning he is a vulnerable young boy, but getting older he gains experience and becomes a man. From “personality” he becomes a “personage”. He comes from an upper-class family. This makes him a representative of a “leisure” class, namely, this term refers to the social class which does not have to work as it gains fortune by inheritance. Wealth obtained in such a simple way is spend mostly on leisure activities, which in consequences leads people to degeneration (Pearl, 2005: 5). What is more, James claims that leisure is a source of femininity, and argues …show more content…
He takes some feminine qualities after Beatrice, namely, “self-indulgence, emotional excess and hysteria, self-absorption, a body with unseemly appetites and desires” (Pearl, 2005: 22). Such relationship between mother and son is based on Freudian psychology, where the lack of father’s presence is an important factor in shaping son’s personality and sexuality (Bui, 2013: 1). Amory’s views on gender roles and attitude towards traditional values is shaped by his mother’s modern beliefs. Freudian psychology had a significant impact on 1920s people’s views on life, sexuality and upbringing. These areas of psychological interest gained more liberated and non-standard