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The Tragedy of "Tender Is The Night"
THE TRAGEDY OF "TENDER IS THE NIGHT"
Article #102 (06/11/2022)
Pastor, teacher, and theater critic, Sheila R. Vitale, has managed activities at Living Epistles Ministries in Port Jefferson Station, New York, since establishing the teaching ministry in 1988. Sheila R. Vitale provides a variety of lectures and writings through her work at Living Epistles Ministries (LEM), including reviews of films such as "Tender Is the Night," based on the 1934 F. Scott Fitzgerald novel.
"Tender Is the Night" is the fourth novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, following "The Great Gatsby," and the final novel he completed during his lifetime. While it is highly regarded by modern literary critics, the inspiration, writing, and release of the book culminated in the unceremonious end of Fitzgerald’s literary career.
Fitzgerald had enjoyed both success and fame following his debut novel, This Side of Paradise. The author had a clear vision for his third book, Gatsby, which he worked on tirelessly as both a piece of art and ticket to continued commercial success. Although the novel is now regarded as one of the greatest works of American literature, the book was originally a commercial and critical failure, selling fewer than 20,000 copies.
Fitzgerald was personally and financially hurt by Gatsby’s reception and poured his heartache into his next novel, Tender Is the Night, which took nearly 9 years to complete. While writing the novel, Fitzgerald's personal and professional lives continued to unwind, with several problems making it onto the page. Fitzgerald’s growing alcoholism, for example, is shared by central character Dick Diver, while the mental health issues of his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald, is reflected in Diver’s spouse, Nicole.
Fitzgerald had to borrow money from his agent and editor while writing the book, in part to keep Zelda under hospital supervision in response to her suicidal and homicidal tendencies. Despite putting more time and effort into Tender Is the Night than any of his previous works and Fitzgerald's personal estimation that the book was his “masterwork,” it received no more fanfare or success than Gatsby.
Fitzgerald subsequently moved to Hollywood to work as a screenwriter. He failed to secure any credits and passed away prior to the completion of his fifth novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon.
To read LEM film reviews, please visit the organization online at livingepistles.org.
