Tower and Town, November 2023

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Thoughts Invoked By Literature

Year 13 student, Caitriona Durcak, shares her thoughts on Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby’, whilst chewing over the topic of the public debate that opened this year’s Marlborough Literature Festival: ‘Can male authors write convincingly about women in love?’

When arguing whether men can write accurately about women in love, with focus on The Great Gatsby, we must consider that Fitzgerald’s opinions and ideas about love didn’t solely stem from his mind alone: Fitzgerald was known for taking inspiration from real life people to accurately portray their persona, thoughts and feelings. His biggest influence was his wife, Zelda. 

Fitzgerald was often influenced by love letters and diary entries written by his wife.  In fact, this subtle plagiarism was so common that, when a famous editor offered to publish Zelda’s diaries, Scott dissuaded him saying he needed the material for his own novels. 

Indeed, F. Scott Fitzgerald possessed a commendable talent, shared amongst numerous esteemed authors: the knack of transforming real-life expressions of love and sentiment into enthralling narratives and relatable characters. This ability, arguably, contributed significantly to the depth, authenticity, and resonance of his works, consequently enriching the readers’ experience, giving them insight into the mind of women. 

For example, the famous quote from Daisy Buchanan about her infant daughter “I hope she is a fool, that’s the best thing a girl in this world can be, a beautiful little fool” was a direct quote from Zelda’s diary.  Fitzgerald based Daisy Buchanan’s character on Zelda’s. Zelda, much like Daisy, was known for her charm and vivacious personality. Zelda’s passionate nature was extracted from the love letters she wrote for Fitzgerald and used to mirror Daisy’s romanticised love for Gatsby. The essence of Zelda can truly be felt in Fitzgerald’s novel. 

Caitriona Durcak (y13)