Flappers and Philosophers

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Narrated by William Dufris

Flappers and Philosophers marked F. Scott Fitzgerald’s entry into the realm of the short story, in which he adroitly proved himself “a master of the mechanism of short-story technique” (Boston Transcript). Several of his most well-known tales are represented in this classic collection of eight, including “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” and “Head and Shoulders,” with their particularly O. Henry-like twists; the poignant “Benediction” and “The Cut-Glass Bowl;” and “The Offshore Pirate,” the octet’s opening and “most romantic story” (New York Times Book Review).

Filtered through Fitzgerald’s remarkable intensity of vision and fed by his matchless imagination, these tales shimmer with the exuberance of youth during the Jazz Age. This sublime short-story collection plumbs the depths of human feeling with a perspicacity that is quintessential Fitzgerald.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio
• Release date: May 11, 2011
• ISBN: 9780786117895

F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 1896. He attended Princeton University, joined the United States Army during World War I, and published his first novel, This Side of Paradise, in 1920. That same year he married Zelda Sayre and for the next decade the couple lived in New York, Paris, and on the Riviera. Fitzgerald’s masterpieces include The Beautiful and Damned, The Great Gatsby, and Tender Is the Night. He died at the age of forty-four while working on The Last Tycoon. Fitzgerald’s fiction has secured his reputation as one of the most important American writers of the twentieth century.

Reviews for Flappers and Philosophers

[madepercy-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I am still amazed at the intense life experience at such a young age. Even though the themes are often about "coming-of-age", FSF's depth of maturity and comprehension of the deeper side of social relations is evident in each short story. "Benediction" was particularly haunting and seems to pre-empt Hemingway's "iceberg" principle. Certainly worth a read and I must say I am now a convert to the short story...

[isotropicjoseph · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent collection of short stories covering the early lives of two products of the Jazz Age.

[voracia · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Step Right In and Come of Age in the Early Twentieth Century:A Book Review of The Genius of F. Scott Fitzgerald: Flappers and Philosophers ( 8 Short Stories) by F. Scott FitzgeraldMore book reviews at Voracia: Goddess of Words. This little book of eight short stories took me about a week to read, and now I'm very sorry that it's over. All of the stories were very entertaining and vivid. In between reading it, I would feel like I was a nineteen-year-old girl in the first or second decade of the twentieth century. Many of the stories in this book are focused on girls of that age, and I thought it was quite strange that Fitzgerald could write so well about them. Almost all of the stories can be classified as "coming of age" stories in the early twentieth century.The book starts off with a strong and rebellious nineteen-year-old girl in “The Offshore Pirate.” That first story was probably my favorite. My second favorite was probably “Bernice Bobs Her Hair,” which was also about a nineteen-year-old who was figuring herself out a lot more than the heroine from the first story was (in the first story, the main characterknew exactly who she was and what she wanted). I also liked “The Ice Palace,” in which a very vivacious teenager named Sally Carroll visits a Northeastern city in the hopes of marrying, and finds out that she really misses the colorful southern town in which she grew up.The last story in the collection, “The Four Fists,” features a manly man who gets knocked down by four punches in his lifetime, each of which teaches him an important lesson, and the story takes him from New York to the oil fields of Texas and the ranches of New Mexico. It was rather refreshing to read a burly story after all the quite feminine ones, but I truly liked them all. The second-to-last story, “Dalyrimple Goes Wrong,” also features a male character and his descent into shadiness. What I noticed is how differently Fitzgerald writes about male characters than female characters: there's less internal monologue and descriptions of thoughts and conversations, and more action at a swiftly moving pace. One story, “Head and Shoulders” does a beautiful job of explaining a role reversal of sorts, in which the female character shines and the male character withers.To read this book was to be transported back to a totally different time--anywhere from the 1890's to the 19-teens, and to totally different places--usually New England towns, Ivy League educational institutions, and country clubs. I enjoyed the scenes about fox trots and flappers and jazz music and I wished, sometimes, that I could have lived back then. But Fitzgerald has great sympathy for his female characters. “The Cut-Glass Bowl” features the downfall of one of them. The strong character of Marjorie in “Bernice Bobs Her Hair” disapprovingly intersperses witled and unloved housewives into the main story of a young unmarried girl.If I carry one thing away from Flappers and Philosophers other than hours of entertaining reading, it is a remark on the position of young women in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The stories feature girls at the cusp of womanhood who wear rose-tinted glasses and think that life is about dances and social events. Yet the men are the ones getting an education, seeing the world and taking part in all of the action (again with the exception of the uniquely witty “Heads and Shoulders” plot). In this sense, as a woman, I am very happy to be living in the 21st century and only reading about these female characters in the early 20th century.To read more of my book reviews, as well as quotes, musings and advice for readers and writers, please visit my blog Voracia: Goddess of Words.

[woodshopcowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Picked up the Pocket Books "Enriched Classics" (which makes the book sound like bark'n'twigs breakfast cereal) edition. According to the crappy critical analysis section, The Fitz sent Mencken a first-edition inscribed: Worth Reading - "The Ice Palace, "The Cut-Glass Bowl", "Benediction", "Dalyrimple Goes Wrong"; Amusing - "The Offshore Pirate"; Trash - "Head and Shoulders", "The Four Fists", "Bernice Bobs Her Hair".The Fitz was right. All of these stories recreate the Twenties and its glory, but the first four stories deal with large, universal issues. The others - Amusing and Trash - are bright, airy shorts which float along in testament to The Fitz's storytelling skill, not his literary acumen.

[danielstj · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I did not feel that this collection was a decent one. All of the stories, in my opinion (and especially towards the latter end) fell apart and I was not entranced by the characters or the setting. Since I am a fan of Fitzgerald, I believe this was a miss in his large series of usual hits. Nevertheless, some of the stories had good use of language, poetic and breezy, that I enjoyed.2 stars.

[pennsylady · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Finished on Jul 28, 2014 Flappers and Philosophers (1920) by F. Scott Fitzgerald hardcover Flappers and Philosophers, first published in 1920, marked Fitzgerald's entry into the short story arena. As a rule, I'm not taken with short stories; but, Fitzgerald is an exception. The flavor and the contrasts of his Jazz Age stories intrigues me. He is precise in his critique of post World War I America. He's harsh and bold in contrasting those who have and those who have not, and yet I feel the emptiness in his representation of wealth. In his life, he exercises no discretion in spending, partying and globe trotting with Zelda, who is consumed with trouble and woe. He provides, for me, an interesting literary sketch of that period. 4 ★

[phlll_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Flappers" was an OK book, but except for the widely-known "Bernice Bobs Her Hair" and a gem called "The Cut-Glass Bowl" this book was more of a collection of shallow characters in unsurprising situations.

It's a fine book to have on your nightstand, and to read a story as you fall asleep. But there isn't much here that I'll ever come back to for a re-read.

[cmscott_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A collection of Fitzgerald's earlier short stories, "Flappers and Philosophers" was an excellent read. The story-telling was bright and vivid and the dialogue was the sort of stuff you'd expect from the man who is considered the greatest American novelist. I liked "The Offshore Pirate," the best and "The Ice Palace," the least. There was quite a bit of wisdom weaved into the stories and logical twists, especially in "The Offshore Pirate." Fitzgerald has a way of making you pause and say: "oh, this is good..." and then continue reading till your heart drops again.

[sweetiegherkin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this collection of short stories when I was teenager (inspired, I suppose, after reading The Great Gatsby in high school). My recollection was that they were beautifully written although the vocabulary sometimes exceed my knowledge of the time, making it a bit challenging to fully enjoy. I found some of the endings to be abrupt, but that is often the case in short stories. Overall though, an excellent introduction to Fitzgerald's finesse.

[anterastilis · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Flappers and Philosophers is a collection of eight short stories. I enjoyed them to differing degrees, so it would be silly of me to write a review on the book as a whole. I don't really like The Great Gatsby. I also don't really enjoy short stories.I'm not sure why I chose this book, but I'm glad I did. Although I didn't like some of the stories, they all evoked such a powerful image of the jazz age - especially the world of young socialite women. It was fascinating and just wonderful.The Offshore Pirate: Ardita is a spoiled, bored, rich, beautiful 19-year-old socialite. When her yacht comes under attack by fugitives (a jazz band), she hooks up with the leader of their gang. I would have too. He was pretty dreamy. Twist at the end that made it more than just a boy-and-girl-forbidden-relationship thing, but I liked the boy-and-girl-forbidden-relationship thing.The Ice Palace: A southern belle goes to a Yankee city and is appalled by cold weather. Although I can't relate as a cold person, I can relate as a person new to town who is utterly discombobulated and unnerved by the surroundings and strange mannerisms of the people. An excellent job of portraying a gripping fear of nothing.Head and Shoulders: Entirely enjoyable. Full of twists that, if written by a less skilled writer, would have seemed insane and stupid.The cut-glass bowl: An evil glass bowl wreaks havoc on a family. Sounds stupid? It kind of is. Why didn't they just get rid of the damned bowl?Bernice Bobs Her Hair: My favorite by far. Bernice is staying at Marjories for the summer, and she is being such a drag. Marjorie gives Bernice a few lessons on how to be a socialite - a great commentary on the social lives of society girls in the teens. Bernice follows the instructions, steals Marjories boyfriend, and then Marjorie gets her revenge. It's pretty damned cool.Benediction: A shy, romantic girl visits her brother in his monastery and gets a clue about life. Sounds dull? It's not. Lyrical and heartbreaking. It made me sigh and feel like I wasn't living my life to its full potential.Dalyrimple goes wrong: Another story full of twists. First, Dalyrimple plays it right and gets screwed over, then he goes bad and - no, he doesn't get screwed over, he is rewarded for being a good guy before going bad. Huh. What a world. NOT my favorite.The Four Fists: Four times in his life Samuel has taken a hit in the face. This short story outlines those four times and what he learned from each. Extraordinarily well written. This and Bernice were my two favorites.