How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
When [Darcy] came into a room clad in his full purple regalia from thatch to toe, he resembled a Turner sunset, and attracted both admiration and attention. (1.1.193)
Amory can tell that Monsignor Darcy is an impressive dude from the moment he meets him. The guy has this aura of awesomeness that anyone can see, which suggests that maybe you really can tell a lot about someone from their looks.
Quote #2
"What a remarkable-looking boy!" (1.1.248)
In the opening chapter of This Side of Paradise, we learn all about Amory Blaine and his dashing good looks. Fitzgerald never loses an opportunity to remind us that Amory is very handsome, which is kind of funny really, since Amory is probably a stand-in for Fitzy himself. Way to pat yourself on the back, F. Scott.
Quote #3
"I wanted to come out here with you because I thought you were the best-looking girl in sight. You really don't care whether you ever see me again, do you?" (1.2.189)
Amory knows the score, and he's willing to tell a girl point-blank that he's talking to her because of her good looks. He also knows that the girl doesn't care if she sees him again. But it doesn't matter because they're both beautiful and life is short.
Quote #4
Amory was now eighteen years old, just under six feet tall and exceptionally, but not conventionally, handsome. (1.2.194)
Sure, Amory might not be conventionally handsome, but this is just Fitzgerald's way of saying that he's handsome and unique. So it's really a double compliment.
Quote #5
"The light-haired man is a higher type, generally speaking. I worked the thing out with the Presidents of the United States once, and found that way over half of them were light-haired—yet think of the preponderant number of brunettes in the race." (1.4.83)
Burne Holiday has done some research and discovered that there is a disproportionate number of light-haired presidents of the United States. The overall point he's making here is that people inherently have more trust for people with light hair, which: wow. Way to be all sorts of racist there, Burne.
Quote #6
But all criticism of Rosalind ends in her beauty. There was that shade of glorious yellow hair, the desire to imitate which supports the dye industry. (2.1.47)
Sure, you can criticize Rosalind's personality all you want. But you can't criticize her beauty. Even if you thought she wasn't good-looking, you'd be objectively wrong… according to Fitzgerald's narrator.
Quote #7
"I can't say sweet things. But you are beautiful." (2.1.267)
Amory doesn't want to say a bunch of lame come-on lines. All he knows is that Rosalind is beautiful and he doesn't mind saying so to her face.
Quote #8
"Beauty and love pass, I know… Oh. there's sadness, too. I suppose all great happiness is a little sad. Beauty means the scent of roses and then the death of roses." (2.1.327)
Rosalind is pretty deep for someone who's always been showered with praise for her looks. She knows full well that her beauty won't last forever. And neither will her love for Amory…
Quote #9
Oh, she was magnificent—pale skin, the color of marble in starlight, slender brows, and eyes that glittered green as emeralds in the blinding glare. (2.3.31)
Eleanor Savage is a beautiful young woman whose main purpose in this novel is to help Amory forget about his heartbreak with Rosalind—at least for a few months. It's sad that Amory can't get over Rosalind because Eleanor seems like a great girl for him. But alas, it isn't meant to be.
Quote #10
[Rolls] of not undignified fat had collected near his chin; somewhere above was a wide thin mouth and the rough model for a Roman nose, and, below, his shoulders collapsed without a struggle into the powerful bulk of his chest and belly. (2.5.88)
This description of a rich man paints a picture of wealth and excess. The guy is pretty fat, yet Amory thinks of his fat as kind of dignified. After all, this guy has made a lot of money and if he wants an extra pork chop with supper, who are we to tell him no? Still, there's also a hint of laziness that lurks beneath this man's appearance, and if anything, Amory envies him for it.