Description
THE PRICE WAS HIGH
Book Summary
This collection of stories, gathered under the title The Price Was High, offers a penetrating and lucid look at the Jazz Age and the years following the First World War. Far from a mere celebration of opulence, F. Scott Fitzgerald reveals the dark side of economic prosperity, anticipating the fragility of a world shattered by the Crash of '29. The reader will find an exquisite example of the elegant prose and sharp social observation that characterize the author, where parties and wealth hide sordidness, calculation, and disillusionment.
What is it about?
The stories that make up The Price Was High explore the contradictions of an American society in the midst of transformation. Fitzgerald portrays characters trapped between the superficial glitz of high society and the shadows of ambition, desire, and decay. Through stories set in luxurious parties, upper-class parlors, and the fringes of the American Dream, the author dismantles the illusion of happiness bought with money. The work captures the climate of euphoria preceding the Great Depression, but also the restlessness and emptiness beating beneath the surface, offering a moral chronicle of an era that paid a high price for its splendor.
Main themes
- The critique of easy wealth and the superficiality of high society in the Jazz Age.
- Moral decay and existential emptiness behind the facade of economic success.
- The fragility of the American Dream and the foreshadowing of the 1929 crisis.
- The conflict between the desire for social climbing and the consequences of unbridled ambition.
- Melancholy and disillusionment in the aftermath of the First World War.
Who is it recommended for?
This book is aimed at readers interested in quality short fiction, especially those who appreciate 20th-century American literature and the work of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It is also attractive to those seeking a critical and profound vision of the Jazz Age, beyond the festive clichés, and for lovers of stories that combine stylistic elegance with sharp social and psychological observation.
What this book offers
- An essential collection of stories that reveal Fitzgerald's mastery of the short story, often overshadowed by his novels.
- A lucid and somber perspective on prosperity and crisis, which enriches the understanding of a key historical period.
- A complex portrait of characters struggling between the desire for belonging and the loss of values.
- The opportunity to discover a prologue by Marcelo Cohen that contextualizes and delves into the author's work.
Technical specifications
- Author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
- Publisher: Eterna Cadencia SL
- Language: Spanish
- Subject: Modern and contemporary fiction
- Collection: Ex Libris
- Binding: Paperback
- Publication date: April 2011
- Number of pages: 480
- Weight: 508 g
Editorial assessment
The Price Was High is presented as a work of great value for Fitzgerald's followers and for those who wish to explore his facet as a short story writer. The selection of stories, spanning from the years of splendor to the crisis, allows one to appreciate the evolution of his critical gaze and his unmistakable style. It is a title that, beyond its literary interest, functions as a social document of a turbulent era, offering an enjoyable yet profound reading experience, ideal for those who seek narrative that transcends mere entertainment.