Modern Fiction in F. Scott Fitzgerald's Winter Dreams

Modern Fiction in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Winter Dreams Modern fiction can be cited as one of the hallmarks of literature. It has come to define a genre of writing in which authors attempt to explore a variety of complex and sophisticated issues in ways that appeal to modern crowds and address the changes in society (Gale, n.d). To this end, Scott Fitzgerald’s Winter Dreams works perfectly to embody the spirit and ideals of modern fiction. This work manages to highlight Fitzgerald’s purpose, which is exploring the influences that modernism stand to have on individuals as well as the society. One of the main ways in which this piece of literature addresses modern fiction is through its thematic concerns. One of the main themes that Fitzgerald addresses is that of a break from traditional relationships. The two protagonists in this case, Dexter and Judy, both exhibit a willingness to break away from the traditionally accepted and encouraged forms of relationships. Dexter chooses to avoid “a conventional and traditional marriage to Irene” while Judy seemingly and “endlessly engages in infidelities” which was particularly uncharacteristic of women at the time (Fitzgerald, 2016; Gale, n.d). In this sense, neither of the characters managed to achieve a life of eternal happiness as is commonly the case in most literary texts, and instead are both condemned to a life of consistently facing the harsh realities surrounding the decisions consequences of their modernist approach to life. In this way, Fitzgerald managers to address issues such as isolation. Dexter is isolated from his family and from his emotional life when he is unable to achieve lasting relationship with Judy. On the other hand, Judy is condemned to a harsh life and a bad relationship after she chooses to marry a husband who treat her badly (Fitzgerald, 2016). In both cases, the protagonists are isolated from the rest of the world. This highlights a “modernistic and fictional break from the conventional tropes of literary writing” and this is one aspect of modern fiction that Fitzge...