We read and admire wonderfully creative writers who make us imagine, dream, deduce, and learn a great deal. However, we also wonder where they get their inspiration, particularly for those classic pieces of literature. In today’s world, we understand that we must credit sources, we understand plagiarism, and now, with the advent of AI, there is a difference between what our original idea is and who or where said idea comes from.
We are all capable of original thought as the world around us sparks ideas. Often, those ideas come from our senses and what we have read. This is nothing new, which is why we will look at the literary muses of famous writers, as in the past, they were not credited as they deserved.
Literature’s First Inspirations
Here, we will delve into the world of muses, the unsung inspiration for so many great works of literature. At the onset in 13th-century Florence, Italy, Beatrice Di Folco Portinari served as Dante Alighieri’s renowned poet, muse, and object of his affection. Although they married other people, he knew her from childhood, and she became a guide through purgatory and paradise in The Divine Comedy.
Then, The Dark Lady appears in Shakespeare’s Sonnets 127-154. The true identity of this muse is still unknown, although some historical possibilities include poet Emilia Lanier, courtier Mary Litton, or prostitute Lucy Negro; in all cases, she inspired passion and explicit sexuality.
Another intriguing, albeit clandestine, bond between a muse and a renowned author is that of Ellen Ternan and James Joyce. At the age of 45, he left his wife for his eighteen-year-old mistress, who remained by his side until his last breath. Ellen was the inspiration behind many of his iconic characters, including Estella in Great Expectations and Lucy in A Tale of Two Cities, a testament to the emotional depth of their connection.
Muses of the Classics
To continue, there is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, in which a young woman, Charlotte Buff, rejects the author and becomes a part of the story. In this case, we might say that writing about his muse allowed him to exorcise his demon. Then, we are left with the mystery muse of Mr. Darcy in Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. It is thought that Tom Lefroy, a noted politician in Ireland, and Ms. Austen spent time together and had a short-lived flirtation.
James Joyce’s famous novel Ulysses was also inspired by his muse and wife, Nora Barnacle; he even included incidents from her life in his short story The Dead. Nora did not enjoy the book herself, but their relationship is still celebrated worldwide as “Bloomsday.”
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They had a very passionate relationship that included sexually explicit and coarse language in their correspondence; one of the erotic letters sold at auction for £240,000. A more tragic tale of a muse is that of Fanny Brawne and the poet John Keates, who inspired many of his famous poems, such as Bright Star, The Eve of Saint Agnes, and Ode to a Nightingale Their relationship was cut short by his untimely death at the age of 25.
Modern Literary Muses
Virginia Woolf’s muse, Vita Sackville-West, a poet and novelist herself, wrote The Edwardians and then inspired the celebrated Orlando, demonstrating more of this inspiration. Both women were married to men but still developed a romantic relationship, which was frowned upon then.
Not all muses were based on romance; such is the case of Neal Cassidy, an essential figure in the Beat Generation of the 1950s. He inspired the character of Dean Moriarty in On the Road by Jack Kerouac, considered the father of the Beat Movement. The two men developed a strong friendship and left their mark on that generation.
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There are also some cases where it was not inspiration but the actual theft and plagiarism of material that led to a court case. Florence Deeks, a Canadian writer and teacher whose nonfiction book Web of the World’s Romance was plagiarized by H.G. Wells in his most notable nonfiction work, The Outline of History. Wells did not even bother to correct the apparent mistakes in Deeks’ work. In this case, the outcome was unfavorable to Deeks, who both lost the case and were humiliated by the judge.
Finally, one of the most well-known cases of plagiarism and theft involves F. Scott Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda. Zelda accused Fitzgerald of stealing parts of her diary and letters, which conveniently disappeared when she was asked to write a review of his work The Beautiful and Damned in The New York Tribune. She wrote a review that included the line, “Mr. Fitzgerald (I believe that is how he spells his name) seems to believe that plagiarism begins at home. Their relationship was tumultuous, but Fitzgerald acknowledged that she had been his muse for much of his writing. Zelda was also a writer; her most notable work was Save Me the Waltz in 1932.
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Artists Finding Inspiration
Many writers lean on a muse for inspiration, but a muse’s role extends far beyond that. A muse is a pillar of emotional support, a beacon of perspective, and a wellspring of motivation. They are a source of character inspiration and hold cultural and mythological significance, embodying an ideal, goal, or theme that helps the writer maintain focus. The relationship with a muse is profoundly personal and unique, evolving from one situation to another. Sometimes, a writer may have multiple muses throughout their career. Ultimately, anyone who ignites creativity and helps manifest a vision deserves recognition for their contribution to the creative process.
