F Scott Fitzgerald

Head and Shoulders F Scott Fitzgerald

Publisher Marketing: "Head and Shoulders" is a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald written and published in 1920. It was first published in The Saturday Evening Post, with the help of Fitzgerald's agent, Harold Ober. It later appeared in his short story collection Flappers and Philosophers. It tells the story of a young prodigy at Yale who falls for a spirited dancer in spite of himself. Horace Tarbox is a young and prospective intellectual, completely absorbed in his studies. Marcia shows up at his door one day (the "rap" alluded to in the stories ending) and takes to showing Horace another side of life. It quickly snowballs into an improbable pairing between an abstraction philosopher and a young actress. Marcia talks Horace into watching her in the theater to where he finds emotions and appreciation for beautiful women. And she returns the affection by being drawn to their connection as "infant prodigies." The story concludes as a role reversal of the two characters, for the better or for the worse, as Horace becomes active in gymnastics and Marcia becomes a respected writer. The title comes from Marcia's idea that she represents the shoulders as a "chorus girl" known for shaking her shoulders during her dance routine in order to support the couple, and Horace as the head for all the ideas and thinking. Towards the end of the story, this dynamic changes: Horace begins doing gymnastic performances, his athletic shoulders financially "supporting" Marcia's writing, as she becomes the "head" as an acclaimed writer.