Zelda Fitzgerald: Numerous Literary Works
Let’s get it out of the way: yes we know “The Great Gatsby” is going to be the most recognized work of the Fitzgerald name. But F. Scott Fitzgerald was neither a literary genius nor a nice person. He needed a lot of help from others to get lucky enough to find success in his work. Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, was actually a huge contributor and victim of his work. One of the most famous lines by Daisy in “The Great Gatsby” is “I hope she’ll be a fool—that’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.” This quote was not F. Scott’s own words, but Zelda’s after their daughter was born. Zelda was known for her quick wit and sharp tongue throughout her life. She, herself, was actually an accomplished dancer and writer. She frequently wrote in her diary… which F. Scott must have absolutely loved to rummage through.
Zelda Fitzgerald spoke about “The Beautiful and the Damned” in an interview with The New York Tribune: “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.” Later on, Zelda would go on to publish one work, “Save Me the Waltz” in 1932. The book was a dramatization of her marriage. It outraged her husband, who wanted to use the material in it for his own book, “Tender is the Night”. Hers was a commercial failure and his harsh criticism was rough on her already delicate mental health.