Dalyrimple Goes Wrong

"Cutting corners meant rejecting the old childhood principles that success came from faithfulness to duty, that evil was necessarily punished or virtue necessarily rewarded-that honest poverty was happier than corrupt riches."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dalyrimple Goes Wrong (1920)



Dalyrimple Goes Wrong (1920), written in September of 1919 by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was first published in a collection of short stories, Flappers and Philosophers (also available from Cosimo Classics). The story begins with veteran Bryan Dalyrimple returning home from the war in Germany feeling unappreciated and dissatisfied with society. He tries unsuccessfully to make his name in the business world and consequently, he turns to a life of crime as an answer to his frustrations. Dalyrimple's disillusionment and despair are themes for which Fitzgerald is famous. This is a must-read for Fitzgerald fans and those who love early twentieth century literature.