was one of 6 brothers and sisters. Zelda was named after a character from "Zelda: A Tale of the Massachusetts Colony".Many say that she was uninterested in school, but was quite smart. She preferred to keep company with boys. Zelda indulged in attention and fancied when all eyes were directed towards her. She liked to dance to the "Charleston" which was popular with African-Americans. She even wore a nude bathing suit to have people think she swam
naked. Most were startled by her rebellious and scandalous ways.
“She refused to be bored chiefly because she wasn't boring.” -Zelda, The Collected Writings
Zelda and her husband, F. Scott Fitzgerald, met at a dance when they were teenagers. While dating him, she proceeded dating other men and having an "open relationship". F. Scott was basically competing with other boys to date Zelda. They eventually committed to each other through marriage in 1920 (the beginning of the "Jazz Age").
“Nobody has ever measured, not even poets, how much the heart can hold.” - Zelda
They moved to New York City and were popular with the locals there because of there invigorating behavior and the success of his work This Side of Paradise. They were often drunk and got kicked out of many hotels and other venues (including the Biltmore). Zelda and F. Scott even rode around NYC on top of a taxi while drunk. People were intrigued and wanted to be closer to the young couple.
"People who live entirely by the fertility of their imaginations are fascinating, brilliant and often charming, but they should be sat next to at dinner parties, not lived with." - Scottie Fitzgerald
Zelda wrote several short stories: "The Girl the Prince Liked", "Southern Girl", "A Couple of Nuts", and others. She also wrote many articles and even kept a diary. F. Scott Fitzgerald often used passages from her diary for his "own" work and novels, including "This Side of Paradise". F. Scott usually said that he wrote her work because more money would be put towards "his" work or he would co-author it.
They soon ran out of money and went into a depression and the idea of moving to Paris, France was decided in 1921 (but returned to America for the birth of Scottie and then returned again in 1924). Zelda was very willing to move to Paris because it would allow her to express herself more through her artistic talents and she was able to flee from her mental problems back in the U.S.A. She soon met another man, Edouard Jozan (French aviator). F. Scott became very jealous and upset. Zelda then had a mental breakdown. She cam from a family of mental illness (including some committing suicide and other illnesses). Later on, she was diagnosed with schizophrenic. After doctors demanded that she not dance anymore, Zelda became infatuated with painting and writing. She wrote her one and only novel "Save Me the Waltz" in a mental hospital. She died during a fire in the hospital in 1948. She truly lived the 1920's life; living fast and carefree.
Questions:
1. What brought your person to France? Was there a particular reason he or she left America to pursue their work in France?
Zelda Fitzgerald left America because she wanted a fresh start in new territory. She wanted to move to a place with an extravagant art scene. She felt she could be whoever she wanted to be while there. She returned to America to have her child, Scottie. She returned to Paris in 1924 because she and F. Scott were broke and in a depression and felt Paris could mend them back together and have more opportunities for them.
Samples:
“I don’t suppose I really know you very well - but I know you smell like the delicious damp grass that grows near old walls and that your hands are beautiful opening out of your sleeves and that the back of your head is a mossy sheltered cave when there is trouble in the wind and that my cheek just fits the depression in your shoulder.” - Save Me the Waltz, Zelda Fitzgerald
“By the time a person has achieved years adequate for choosing a direction, the die is cast and the moment has long since passed which determined the future." - Save Me the Waltz, Zelda Fitzgerald
Questions About the Samples:
3. What do you think of your person's work? Does it appeal to you? Why or why not?
I think Zelda was very descriptive. I also think she had deep thoughts and that everything came directly from her soul. I feel she meant what she said and said what she meant in a way that other's may have a difficult time understanding, but you can decipher it with much thought. Her work does appeal to me because it kind of hits you hard and makes you think about love and life. Her work contains a lot of love and I find love to a fascinating thing.
4. Based on what you know about the person and the samples you've found, would you be interested in more of their work? Why or why not?
I would love to read more of Zelda's work. I find her to be compelling and flamboyant. I enjoy her carefree spirit and the quirkiness of her mental illness. She has deep love in her and is an excellent writer.
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