Under Her Husband’s Shadow:

Abstract

Zelda Fitzgerald has remained under Scott Fitzgerald’s shadow for too long. It was not until the seventies that scholars such as Nancy Milford started to focus on her life and works. Since then, interest in Zelda has done nothing but increase. Recent biographies, articles, and novels about Zelda represent the need to place her in the spotlight by focusing not only on her life and her tumultuous marriage to Scott Fitzgerald, but also on her artistic career as a writer, dancer, and painter. During her short life, Zelda tried to find her own voice, despite her husband’s opposition and her frequent hospitalizations in different mental institutions. This article seeks to explore Zelda’s growth from flapper to writer in order to highlight her self-determination to become a renowned and independent artist.

Keywords

• Zelda Fitzgerald
• flapper
• writer
• mental illness
• artistic independence