Study Questions
If you were asked to edit This Side of Paradise, would you punctuate the ending sentence with a period or a dash? Answer this question without referring to previously published editions and commentaries.
Fitzgerald described his book as a "quest novel." Do you believe that his assessment was accurate? If so, what is the object of the quest?
Explain the significance of Dick Humbird and his death in relation to Amory's development.
If Amory had met Eleanor before he met Rosalind, would he have fallen for her as completely as he did for Rosalind?
Did Amory ruin Tom's literary career by exposing him to the social world of Princeton?
Fitzgerald got the name for this novel from the line of Rupert Brooke's poetry that is quoted in the epigraph. Why did Fitzgerald choose This Side of Paradise for the title?
When does Amory experience his greatest change at Princeton?
In a short creative essay, formulate what could be the next chapter in this novel if it continued. Bear in mind questions like: What will happen to Amory? Will he ever marry? What profession, if any, will he choose? What about Tom? Rosalind and her marriage? Alec after the sacrifice episode?
Who is the strongest female character in this book and why? Bear in mind that the strongest female may not have to have had the most important role. Cases can be made for Beatrice, Clara, Rosalind, Eleanor and others.
Does Amory abandon Beatrice or vice versa? Or is their parting simply part of Amory's maturing process?
Does Rosalind truly love Amory? If not, why does she pretend she does? If she does love him, why does she break off their engagement?
