Exploring the tension between truth and illusion is a frequent preoccupation of twentieth century American literature. Compare and contrast the treatment of this theme in `Tender is the Night' and at least one other relevant text you have encountered.

`Tender is the Night' is a novel where the presentation of the main characters at the beginning of the novel is shown to be an illusion. An illusion which often masks the seedy truth and results in people having to present an extravagant front to disguise their inner problems.

In the opening chapter Fitzgerald narrates that Rosemary was `nearly complete, but the dew was still wet on her'. Further references to `baby teeth' and children indicate that the author wishes the narrator of Book 1 to be innocent and therefore receptive to the illusion of the Divers perfect lifestyle. The yearning for `high excitement' in the nineteen-twenties Jazz Age resulted...