F. Scott Fitzgerald Scholar to Speak at the Library

By Hayley Croft

Mary Jo Tate, an F. Scott Fitzgerald scholar, will speak on October 25 at 6:30 p.m. at Moon Lake Library. Her topic: The Composition of a Masterpiece: How F. Scott Fitzgerald Wrote and Revised “The Great Gatsby.” Exploring Fitzgerald’s composition and revision of the classic reveals his careful craftsmanship as well as his genius. In this behind-the-scenes look at the creation of a masterpiece, you’ll learn how Fitzgerald polished his prose and how the novel achieved its structural greatness as he revised and rewrote major sections in the galley proofs.

Tate holds a master of arts degree in English from the University of South Carolina, where she was editorial assistant to eminent Fitzgerald scholar Matthew J. Bruccoli. She worked with Bruccoli on the Cambridge University Press editions of “The Great Gatsby” and “The Love of the Last Tycoon: A Western,” the 18-volume facsimile series “F. Scott Fitzgerald Manuscripts,” and many other Fitzgerald projects. She is the author of “Critical Companion to F. Scott Fitzgerald” and “Flourish: Balance for Homeschool Moms.”

As a freelance editor and book coach since 1986, she has worked with authors from five continents. Tate homeschooled her four sons and taught literature to high schoolers in a classical homeschool co-op and middle schoolers in a classical Christian school. She currently teaches both high schoolers and adults online and relishes helping them learn to understand, appreciate, and love great literature.