Among the many fascinating aspects of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s life, one small but significant detail often captures the attention of literary enthusiasts his typewriter. As one of the most iconic American writers of the 20th century, Fitzgerald produced his most celebrated works during a period when the typewriter was the primary tool for writers. Understanding the connection between Fitzgerald and his typewriter not only offers insight into his writing process but also opens a window into the broader historical context of literary creation during the Jazz Age. Whether you’re a fan of The Great Gatsby or simply curious about the tools that shaped great literature, the story of Fitzgerald’s typewriter brings us closer to the man behind the words.
The Role of the Typewriter in Fitzgerald’s Writing Life
F. Scott Fitzgerald began his writing career in the early 1910s, a time when typewriters were becoming essential for professional writers. The typewriter allowed for quicker composition, clearer formatting, and easier editing compared to handwritten manuscripts. For Fitzgerald, who was deeply immersed in magazine culture and often worked on tight deadlines, the typewriter was an indispensable part of his daily routine.
His early stories and drafts were most likely written on a Remington or Underwood typewriter, which were the standard machines for serious writers at the time. These machines were sturdy, mechanical, and required a rhythm that many writers found conducive to focused writing. There is no definitive record of Fitzgerald using one specific model throughout his life, but photographs and historical references suggest he used various popular models throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
Creating The Great Gatsby” with a Typewriter
It’s widely accepted that Fitzgerald composed the manuscript ofThe Great Gatsbyusing a typewriter, most likely a Remington. This detail is more than trivial it tells us about the physical act of writing one of America’s greatest novels. The click-clack of the keys, the need to change ribbons, and the disciplined approach required to retype entire drafts would have shaped the rhythm and tone of his prose.
Unlike today’s digital writers who can backspace and delete instantly, Fitzgerald had to be more intentional with his sentences. Drafts were carefully edited with pen before being retyped for submission. This deliberate process may have contributed to the tight, poetic quality of his language, which continues to captivate readers a century later.
Fitzgerald’s Working Environment
The presence of the typewriter in Fitzgerald’s life wasn’t limited to just the act of writing. It was part of his larger working environment, which included notes, books, and letters all arranged in a creative yet sometimes chaotic space. He often wrote at desks in hotel rooms, borrowed apartments, and temporary homes, and the portable nature of the typewriter made it possible to work in these constantly changing environments.
In correspondence with editors and friends, Fitzgerald often mentioned how exhausted he became after hours of typing. The mechanical nature of the machine required physical effort and focus. This added a layer of fatigue that modern writers using laptops might not experience to the same degree. Yet, he persevered driven by ambition, financial pressure, and artistic passion.
Symbolism of the Typewriter in Fitzgerald’s Era
In the 1920s and 1930s, the typewriter was not just a tool it was a symbol of modernity, professionalism, and productivity. For a writer like Fitzgerald, who was caught between traditional literary ambitions and the commercial demands of popular magazines, the typewriter was both a lifeline and a burden.
Its presence in his life represented his dual identity the serious novelist crafting literary works and the struggling writer producing short stories to support his lavish lifestyle and his wife Zelda’s medical needs. The typewriter thus became a physical manifestation of both his success and his struggles.
Preservation of Fitzgerald’s Typed Manuscripts
Today, many of Fitzgerald’s original typed pages are preserved in archives, such as the Princeton University Library, where his literary papers are housed. These documents show the meticulous editing process he followed lines crossed out, words inserted, margins filled with handwritten notes. These artifacts offer a rare look into the evolution of his writing and the crucial role the typewriter played in shaping his final texts.
Typed manuscripts from the period also allow scholars to track revisions and understand how Fitzgerald’s creative mind worked. By analyzing these documents, we can see how he crafted key phrases, restructured paragraphs, and polished dialogue all through the physical medium of typed pages and inked annotations.
Typewriter Culture Among Fitzgerald’s Contemporaries
Fitzgerald wasn’t alone in his reliance on the typewriter. Other prominent writers of his era, such as Ernest Hemingway, Dorothy Parker, and William Faulkner, also used typewriters as their primary writing tools. Each developed a personal relationship with their machine, and many, like Fitzgerald, believed it helped them focus and maintain a steady pace of output.
There was a shared understanding among these authors that the typewriter symbolized commitment to the craft. It allowed for more legible submissions to editors and publishers and became a sign of serious literary intent. Fitzgerald, always concerned with how his work would be received, embraced this tool as part of his professional identity.
Legacy of Fitzgerald’s Typewriter
Although we live in a digital age where laptops and smartphones dominate the writing scene, there is still a nostalgic reverence for the typewriters used by great authors like F. Scott Fitzgerald. Collectors and literary fans often seek out machines from the same era, hoping to connect with the tactile experience of writing in the Jazz Age.
Fitzgerald’s typewriter represents more than just a historical curiosity it symbolizes the labor of writing, the personal dedication behind each word, and the cultural backdrop against which his masterpieces were created. It reminds us that literature is not only about inspiration but also about the tools and discipline required to bring ideas to life.
Inspiring a New Generation of Writers
Interestingly, Fitzgerald’s typewriter has inspired many modern writers to explore typewriting as a way to slow down and focus. Some adopt old machines in an attempt to recapture the immersive, distraction-free process that Fitzgerald and his peers relied upon. In this way, the writer’s legacy continues not just through his novels, but through the physical connection to the act of writing itself.
The story of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s typewriter adds a human touch to his literary legacy. It’s a reminder that behind the glamour and elegance of his prose was a man hunched over a machine, striking each key with hope, doubt, and determination. In every clack of the typewriter lies the sound of history being made.