Book Review: All the Sad Young Men as a collection is hard to find these days. Three of the nine stories are now in Six Tales of the Jazz Age and Other Stories and most of the rest are to be found in Matthew J. Bruccoli's The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1989) (the current standard with 43 stories, not to be confused with the previous standard collection, Malcolm Cowley's The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald (1951) with 28 selections. These pieces were written before and after Gatsby and explore some of the same themes and thoughts. The stories are:
"The Rich Boy" - Contrary to his usual theme, Fitzgerald addresses the failures, disappointments, and emptiness that await even the wealthy. Excellent, but without the vibrant emotion usually found in his stories. Includes the oft-misquoted line: "Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me."
"Winter Dreams" - A sketch in anticipation of The Great Gatsby. A middle class but ambitious boy falls in love with a rich girl. In some alternate reality this is the backstory to Fitzgerald's greatest work. One of the better stories of this collection.
"The Baby Party" - The most interesting and simplest story here. Two married couples battle following a children's play date (seemingly a birthday party). The incident causes a father to examine his feelings of constraint and pride regarding his child. Better than the other married couple stories.
"Absolution" - In events leading up to making his confession a young boy learns that the world is not as he thought it was. Fitzgerald said that this story "was to have been the prologue to that novel [Gatsby] but it interfered with the neatness of the plan." Fortunately it wasn't made part of that story. Interesting piece, could've been set in Ireland, and I wonder if it was influenced by Joyce.
"Rags Martin-Jones and the Pr-nce of W-les" - A young man attempts to break through the blase ennui of the most desirable woman in the world. A fantasy of creativity and desire among the very rich.
F. Scott once told his daughter: "I guess I am too much a moralist at heart and really want to preach at people in some acceptable form rather than entertain them." This attitude is reflected in three stories with unhappy husbands and insufficiently submissive wives from All the Sad Young Men:
"The Adjuster" - A young wife and mother still wants to enjoy life after marriage, but in a harsh lesson learns the error of her ways. A generally unpleasant story with an even more unpleasant moral. Judgmental and a bit prudish.
"Hot and Cold Blood" - A husband and soon-to-be father is goaded by his wife into selfishness, but soon learns the error of his ways. A more palatable moral, but still a harsh lesson for the shrewish wife.
"The Sensible Thing" - Not one of the married couple stories. Another of Fitzgerald's stories about a young man trying to make good to win the much sought after girl of his dreams.
"Gretchen's Forty Winks" - A young wife and mother refuses to delay gratification for six weeks even to achieve their fortune, so her husband masterfully takes matters into his own hands.
All the Sad Young Men is a mixed bag as short story collections, even Fitzgerald's, are wont to be. The stories about married couples are weaker on the whole than the others, showing Fitzgerald in transition from chronicler of the Jazz Age to suburban parent. As usual he brilliantly conveys levels of emotion, inhabits the feelings, fears, and hopes of his characters. All beautifully written with insight and a fine eye for the telling detail. Well worth reading for the better tales, if you can tolerate the pedantic stories. [4★]
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