Often seen as a mirroring the contemporary movement of American history itself, Scott Fitzgerald's literary life was a roller- coaster ride from early success in the 1920s to apparent oblivion by the end of the 1930s. This study attempts to account for such a problematic career by focusing on Fitzgerald's struggle to sustain a perilous balancing act between his commitment to a totally involving life on the one hand, and his parallel commitment to the serious business of art on the other.