Borne Back Ceaselessly into the Past: Fitzgerald, Gatsby and WWI

In June 1918, Fitzgerald was on the move. He went with the 9th Division to Camp Sheridan, a mobilization camp just outside Montgomery, Alabama. By day, his brigade was busy building new units, training recruits and draftees and preparing to ship overseas to the Western Front – typical for many of the newly-activated units of the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.). By night, young officers found themselves with time on their hands to explore Montgomery and take in the social life. For Fitzgerald, this relatively calm period gave him time to edit his manuscript for “This Side of Paradise.” ... Read full article.