Luminosity In "Winter Dreams": The Art and Elegance of Fitzgerald's Prose Anonymous College

There’s no question that the anthology Fiction 100 does exactly what it sets out to do: highlight carefully curated short stories that represent each aspect of the craft, from short prose to anecdotes. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s work, “Winter Dreams,” fits in perfectly with this collection. A master of the short story, Fitzgerald made his mark in publications like Esquire and The Saturday Evening Post (Bruccoli 1). He regularly returned to themes that dominated his early adult years: success, love, reputation, and material gain, of which “Winter Dreams” is an excellent example. Taking the American “rags to riches” story and turning it on its head, this masterpiece maintains magic throughout with a strong sense of hope and possibility, rich scenes, a universally relatable theme, and strong dialogue – a combination which generates and maintains a special luminosity that has withstood time.

The first thing readers experience with “Winter Dreams” is fairly obvious, but must be said: the title alone hints at its haunting quality. By referencing “dreams,” we instinctively understand that some components may be dramatic, contradictory, fantastic, or unfulfilled. The title represents Dexter's longing, and while it demonstrates the power of...