Tender Is The Night, 1934

Set in the hedonistic expatriate world of the French Riviera in the late 1920s, F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel focuses on the stylish American couple Dick and Nicole Diver, and on the tragic obsession of the young actress Rosemary Hoyt. The Divers' relationship (including Nicole's mental illness) contains numerous parallels to the troubled marriage of the Fitzgeralds, although the downfall of the real-life couple was neither so neat nor so definitive as the failures of the Divers. The protagonists have also been associated with Sara and Gerald Murphy, legendary hosts of the period, famous for their wealth and kindness--and the double portrait was seen by many as a betrayal of friendship. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.