'The rich are different from us.' 'Yes - they have more money.' Though it is Hemingway's riposte that sticks in the memory, Scott Fitzgerald's belief in the difference of the rich has one thing to be said for it: it makes far more sense of the history of the novel. The rich and their doings are clearly over-represented in the house of fiction, and access to wealth almost invariably affects or confirms a fictional character's identity. It may do so for the better or worse, and either way it tends to act as an enticement to readers.

LRB 29 August 1991 | PDF Download