Welcome to the first post of my blogging series: Her Resilient Ink. In this series, I hope to shed light on the societal constraints faced by pioneering female authors along with their displays of unyielding determination in the face of this adversity. As a passionate advocate for female empowerment and an avid reader, I am thrilled to embark on this blogging journey, combining my love for writing and literature with the celebration of these extraordinary writers.
I’ve been reading a lot of F. Scott Fitzgerald this summer. My initial encounter with his writing occurred in school with the hallmark of junior year that is The Great Gatsby. Since then, I’ve devoured everything from This Side of Paradise to Tender is the Night. However- and I don’t know if this is just me- I love to know about the authors I read. Where do they live? Where did they go to school? What do they do in their freetime? I quite honestly find it odd to spend hours reading the inner workings of someone’s brain only to know nothing of their life. In the case of Fitzgerald, his relationship with his wife, Zelda Fitzgerald, is that piece of him that intrigues me. And I know I’m not alone. The fruits of people’s fascination in their relationship is materialized in everything from blockbuster movies like “Midnight in Paris” to Amazon Prime’s “The Beginning of Everything.” So, I’m going to bring this fascination to you- with an emphasis on the literary contributions Zelda made to F. Scott’s work.
There are differing opinions among scholars regarding the influence and interactions between F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerlad. Some argue that F. Scott incorporated lines or even direct statements from Zelda into his own writing. My first exposure to this possibility took place on the- of course terribly reliable- site of Tiktok. The consensus on that platform seems to be that Daisy Buchanan’s iconic line “I hope she’ll be a fool- that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool” was plagiarized directly from Zelda’s journals. Moving to more credible sources, letters between the couple hint at conflicts arising from Zelda using her own diary entries as inspiration for her novel. F. Scott’s established position as a writer in their marriage, financial factors, and of course societal considerations of the time period may have contributed to his belief that their shared experiences and events were his domain.
Up to this point, I too would see this accusation of plagiarism to be pretty unfounded. I mean a few letters are not enough to say that one of the greatest American writers in history is truly not that great. I was taken to the dark side- or maybe the light side- however, after reading a New York Tribune quote by Zelda herself. In it she said, “It seems to me that on one page I recognized a portion of an old diary of mine which mysteriously disappeared shortly after my marriage, and also scraps of letters which, though considerably edited, sound to me vaguely familiar. In fact, Mr. Fitzgerald- I believe that is how he spells his name- seems to believe that plagiarism begins at home.” Now, I’m not going to say this quote stands as irrefutable proof, but I believe that considering the time period that Zelda and F. Scott lived in (being the beginning half of the 20th century), it is a plausible notion that some form of plagiarism did ensue. Women had few rights and a limited voice. Men had most- if not all- the power in society. Zelda and F. Scott were no exception to this societal framework. Maybe if they lived in the present day it would be Zelda we follow on Instagram and excitedly track updates on her Goodreads for new releases. Maybe not.
This post is not to say we should spontaneously create F. Scott hate posts and parody accounts. Instead, its purpose is to appreciate Zelda’s own aspirations and creative endeavors, acknowledging that her contributions deserve recognition in their own right. It is a call to ensure that although her voice was silenced, her impact is not forgotten but celebrated for years to come.
Thank you for joining me in this inaugural entry of “Her Resilient Ink.” I am incredibly excited to take this journey with all of you and delve deeper into the lives and legacies of these remarkable women.