History Literature / ThisSideOfParadise

* ConfirmedBachelor: After the death of her husband, Clara Page has decided to not marry again and has sworn off men for the rest of her life so she could be with her children at all times. Thus, she turns down Amory despite liking him.

* VowOfCelibacy: As part of his role as a Catholic priest, Monsignor Darcy has sworn a vow of celibacy, thus he refrains from having sex.

* ParentalSubstitute: Monsignor Darcy serves as both mentor and father figure to Amory Blaine, helping him out and giving him advice. As he took a VowOfCelibacy, Darcy views Amory as a son and admits that he has a paternal instinct for him.

%%* TheOneThatGotAway: Rosalind

* RomancingTheWidow: Amory Blaine falls helplessly in love with the widowed Clara Page and tries confessing it to her. However, while she likes him, Clara turns him down as she has sworn off men for the rest of her life, which saddens him.

* DumbBlonde: Discussed in chapter 4 of Book 1; during a discussion about the hair colors of the senior council members, Amory brings up that people unconsciously expect blondes to talk and if they don't talk, they're considered shallow-minded and stupid. He notes that dark-haired people who are stupid aren't called out for being stupid, unlike blondes.

* DrunkDriver: One night, Dick Humbird had been drinking a lot at a party and ended up driving. Ferrenby and the other Princeton students tried taking over the wheel but failed. As a result, Dick's drunk driving led to an accident that got him killed and two other students injured.

* {{Bookworm}}: Amory Blaine has always dabbled in literature as a hobby, having read many books and prefers studying literature over math.

* TheAlcoholic: Beatrice learned to prefer whiskey and wine from her time in England and thus drank quite a bit such as when she had a nervous breakdown at a hotel in Mexico City where consumed a bunch of alcohol. She even had some liqueur lying around for a young Amory to take a sip of and get drunk when he was left alone in a hotel room (which secretly amused her). Shortly after Amory's surgery to get his appendix removed, Beatrice had another nervous breakdown with the symptoms being similar to that of alcohol withdrawal delirium, implying she was trying to stop drinking at one point.

* GoldDigger: Rosalind is a woman who has her eyes set on a man's wealth and status, which is what led her to break up with the middle-classed Amory and get hitched with his rival, the wealthy OldMoney Dawson.

* KidsRaidingTheWineCabinet: When he was a child, Amory was left alone in a hotel and slipped some of his mother's liqueur. While he liked the taste, he got a little drunk and ended up smoking a cigarette, which he reacted to quite negatively. His mom was horrified when she found out but at the same time was amused on the inside.
* LostPetGrievance: For a brief period, Amory cries on his bed about the lost of his dog, Count Del Monte, after he lost his mind and ran away in fits of eccentricity. However, after several months, Amory suspected Count of being a decent emotional actor and eventually got over him.

* {{Nephewism}}: After an incident where Amory's appendix bursted during a trip in Italy and having to be sent back to America to get an operation to remove it, his mother had an intense nervous breakdown which resembled severe alcohol withdrawal symptons, leading to Amory having to live the next two years in Minneapolis with his aunt and uncle.

* MeaningfulName: Amory seems to be related to the Latin word for love. Which is fitting for a charming [[TheCasanova Casanova]] who's dubbed a "romantic egotist" and finds himself in multiple relationships with women.

* LostPetGrievance: For a brief period, Amory cries on his bed about the lost of his dog, Count Del Monte, after he lost his mind and ran away in fits of eccentricity. However, after several months, Amory suspected Count of being a decent emotional actor.
* MeaningfulName: Amory seems to relate to the Latin word for love. Which is fitting for a charming [[TheCasanova Casanova]] who's dubbed a "romantic egotist" and finds himself in multiple relationships with women.

* GoldDigger: Rosalind is a woman who has her eyes set on a man's wealth and status, which is what led her to break up with Amory and get hitched with his rival Dawson.

* {{Bookworm}}: Amory Blaine had always dabbled in literature as a hobby, having read many books and prefers studying literature over math.

* DotingParent: Beatrice was quite loving towards Amory. She gave him a highly specialized education, bragged about how sophisticated and charming he was to other women, and spoiled him excessively such as forbidding him from leaving bed too early just so their servant can bring him breakfast.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: Amory has an immense dislike of mathematics and science, preferring to study literature and history. This sentiment is shared by his mentor, Thayer Darcy..

* AdorablyPrecociousChild: As a child, Amory Blaine already has a taste for fashion and was quite insightful as seen when he completely understands his mother when she was stressed and recognize her flaws unlike most children and once talked in reminiscent detail about famous musicians such as Mozart and Beethoven. His mother would end up bragging about how sophisticated, charming and delicate he is to a room full of women who were in awe of it.

* BreakfastInBed: Amory, grew up spoiled by his mother who literally ''forbade'' him to get out of bed too early, while their servant brought him breakfast. Probably as a result of this, his appendix burst when he was thirteen, and he had to be operated.

!!'''As this novel has entered PublicDomain, [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff all spoilers are unmarked per wiki policy]]. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.''

* BreakfastInBed: Amory's mother spoiled so much to the point she literally ''forbade'' him to get out of too early, while their servant brought him breakfast.
* DotingParent: Beatrice was this to her son, Amory.
* EverybodyHatesMathematics: Amory has an immense dislike of mathematics and science, preferring to study literature and history. This sentiment is shared by his mentor, Thayer Darcy.

* GoodShepherd[=/=]IrishPriest: Monsignor Thayer Darcy

* TheOneThatGotAway: Rosalind

The story follows Amory Blaine, a middle-class Princeton student who attempts to achieve a promising future while he dabbles in literature and engages in romances with flappers. However, his experiences have an effect on his viewpoint of society and the people around him, including himself.

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!!''This Side of Paradise'' contains these examples: