Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald is one of the most magnetic female personalities of the last century. The wife of celebrated author F. Scott Fitzgerald, she had a fascinating aura that attracted men and women alike and made her one of her generation’s icons. In the article below, I will explore Zelda’s life and will recount little-known facts about her multiple talents and passions.
Early Life
Zelda Sayre was born on July 24, 1900, in Montgomery, Alabama. She was the youngest of six children in the family of prominent jurist Anthony Dickinson Sayre and his vivacious wife Minerva Buckner “Minnie” Machen. Her mother possessed an artistic spirit and named the baby girl Zelda after the characters of two distinct stories: “Zelda: A Tale of the Massachusetts Colony” (1866) by Jane Howard and “Zelda’s Fortune” (1874) by Robert Edward Francillon.
Zelda’s father was a serious, strict man. Her mother, however, was a light-hearted, bubbly woman, who did spoil her a lot. Young Zelda was a very active child who had a lot of friends and various interests, such as dancing, ballet, and outdoor lifestyle. In 1914, Zelda entered high school. Her teachers found her bright and gifted but inconsistent in her studies. Yet, Zelda continued to lead an active social life and followed through with her passion for ballet.
It was precisely in high school where the provocative side of her personality came into the spotlight. Zelda took on the habits of drinking and smoking and hung around with boys way more than it was expected from a girl of her age and standing. Although much of her behavior was considered unacceptable, she did not appear embarrassed. She even stated in front of a local newspaper that she only cared about “boys and swimming.”
In other words, teenage Zelda was not your typical Southern young lady. While her father’s status and reputation shielded her from getting into trouble, her adventures became a common gossip topic. This amused Zelda very much and she did nothing to disperse the rumors. On the contrary, she developed a constant craving for attention and went on to fuel the nosy parkers. For instance, she would swim in a tight, flesh-colored suit with the purpose of feeding anecdotes about how she swam nude.
Meeting F. Scott Fitzgerald
Meeting F. Scott Fitzgerald changed Zelda’s destiny forever. The two of them got introduced to each other at a country club dance party in Montgomery in July 1918. Fitzgerald had volunteered for the army and was stationed at the time at Camp Sheridan, which was close to Montgomery.
The future bestselling author quickly became infatuated with the young Zelda Sayre and started hanging out with her all the time. His adoration almost bordered with obsession. In fact, he rewrote entirely the character of Rosalind Connage in his debut novel This Side of Paradise to resemble Zelda Sayre.
However, the Alabama teenage socialite was not only young Scott’s muse and love interest. She was also a source of literary inspiration, which – some argue – bordered with genuine plagiarism. Fitzgerald had taken quite a few of the writings she shared with him in their letters to use in his own work. The concluding monologue of the protagonist Amory Blaine in the cemetery in This Side of Paradise is one such example. Another one is the character of Gloria Patch from The Beautiful and the Damned.
Yet, Fitzgerald created some of his most stunning literary scenes based on his shared experiences with Zelda. For example, he used their first encounter at the Montgomery country club dance to portray the scene in The Great Gatsby where Jay Gatsby first meets Daisy Buchanan. Scott employed his future wife as a source of inspiration for many other works including:
- The Beautiful and Damned
- Tender Is the Night
- “Bernice Bobs Her Hair”
- “Babylon Revisited”
- And more.
As you might imagine, a popular and good-looking young lady like Zelda Sayre had many admirers. This drove Fitzgerald wild and he persisted in courting her. Upon his discharge from the military in 1919, he went to New York to establish himself and in a year sent Zelda his mother’s ring.
As the two of them became engaged, her family and friends did not remain thrilled. To begin with, her parents were Episcopalian and disapproved of the fact that Scott was Catholic. Zelda’s close ones were also very concerned about young Fitzgerald’s heavy drinking. Nonetheless, the two of them went on and got married on April 3, 1920. The wedding was modest and only a few close friends attended.
It is interesting to note that Zelda promised Scott to marry him only after his novel This Side of Paradise was published. The book was released on March 26, 1920, and she arrived in New York four days later.
Becoming a New York Celebrity
This Side of Paradise turned into a tremendous success. Fitzgerald quickly became very popular, and he and Zelda soon joined the New York circle of young celebrities. Unfortunately, Scott’s bright literary talent and Zelda’s shining personality and conversational wit were not the only things that earned the two of them their social success. The Fitzgeralds were known for their flamboyant party life and excessive love for alcohol.
To be continued.