"Some girls with metal knuckles were furiously insulting two punching bags on each of which was painted the leering, winking face of a 'masher.'"
-F. Scott Fitzgerald, Dice, Brassknuckles & Guitar (1923)
Dice, Brassknuckles & Guitar (1923) is a short story that was originally published in Hearst's International and resonates with some of the same themes as The Great Gatsby (1925) published shortly after. Featuring young commoner James Powell, "Jazz Master," the plot focuses on his brush with debutantes when he opens an academy focusing on defending oneself with brassknuckles, playing guitar, and winning at dice. The themes of social class, racial tension, and Southern versus Northern manners combine with the partying of the Jazz Age. This classic story is a must-read for fans of Fitzgerald and fiction of the early twentieth century.