In a Nutshell...
Here's the basic gist:
Set in the 1910s and early Roaring Twenties, it's a tale that tells of the inevitable downward spiral of the young, irresponsible, and arrogant couple of the year: Anthony and Gloria Patch. In the beginning, they're carefree and happy, swayed by their love for each other and their hope to inherit Anthony's grandfather's moolah in order to be financially stable. BUT, they ultimately deteriorate and become brutally bitter and god awfully empty. Anthony becomes an absolute drunk, Gloria begins to lose her precious beauty, and all hope and desire they had for living a life full of happiness becomes the biggest slap in their face when they realized the damage they had done to each other is absolutely irreversible. Also, they got no moolah! Oh, how fun!
Why Should I Care?
At this time F. Scott had just found fame with the success of his first book, This Side of Paradise, and got married to his dream girl , Zelda Fitzgerald. (Yes, that;s right - he liked it so much he put a ring on it.) His second novel, The Beautiful and Damned was published when Fitzgerald was only 25. Even though The Beautiful and Damned is his lesser known novel, it still carries a great importance in the history of American literature because its a direct reflection of the complex and streneous Fitzgerald relationship. (And! - it's also important to note that the first edition cover looks a lot like F. Scott and Zelda, even though it's supposed to be Anthony and Gloria.) (Oh snap!)