Crazy Sunday
"Crazy Sunday" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald originally published in the October 1932 issue of American Mercury.
Plot
The story centers on a young screenwriter, Joel Coles, as he comes to terms with his personal and professional failures. Coles is already 28 and has not yet distinguished himself. Moreover, the material he has been working on is trite and hackneyed. During the course of the story Coles becomes involved with a high-profile couple, Miles and Stella Calman. Coles sees Calman at the studio lot during the course of many weeks, but most of their interaction occurs on Sundays. Coles--who is an alcoholic--is soon invited to a party thrown by the couple. He promises himself he won't drink but soon imbibes. During this party he performs for the audience and subsequently falls flat. Humiliated, he writes a letter to the host, Miles Calman.
Calman's wife Stella, whom Coles knew when she lived in New York, is described as near an "emotional bursting point." Calman has been cheating on her for some time, and "Crazy Sunday" opens with him doing this. Stella intends to stay faithful to him but confides in Joel she feels she must cheat on him to balance the scales. Calman also confides in Joel that he is frantic over losing Stella.
At the close of the story Joel (a self-described hack) has not developed professionally nor personally from his associations with Hollywood. However, he manages to have sex with Stella one Sunday night when Miles is away on business. Afterwards, Joel basks in the glory of his conquest, and pours himself a drink. The phone rings and Stella answers it. She is informed Miles has died in a plane crash. She hysterically begs Joel to stay with her and it becomes clear she did love him despite his faults.[1]
History
The short story is noteworthy because although Fitzgerald commanded respectable compensation and respect for his work, "Crazy Sunday" was turned down by nearly a dozen magazines before its eventual acceptance by American Mercury.
Fitzgerald is said to have refused all requests to revise the story as suggested, and later mandated, by editors. Thus, the story retained the original length and content, despite any risk of controversy. The story is reportedly based on Fitzgerald's own experiences at a similar party hosted by Norma Shearer and Irving Thalberg during the time Fitzgerald was working in Hollywood. The story also illustrates the dangers of alcoholism.
References
- ↑ The Short Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald - Francis Scott Fitzgerald, Matthew Joseph Bruccoli (1998)
External links
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