One of the most famous literary feuds is between Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Their rivalry began in the 1920s when Hemingway criticized Fitzgerald's writing style and lifestyle, calling him "a fraud." Fitzgerald, in turn, felt overshadowed by Hemingway's rising fame. Their correspondence reveals tensions; in a letter, Hemingway dismissed Fitzgerald's work as “sentimental.” This feud highlighted the struggle between modernist ideals and the romanticism that Fitzgerald embodied.
Another significant rivalry was between William Faulkner and Hemingway. Faulkner, who was influenced by Southern Gothic themes, viewed Hemingway’s minimalist style as simplistic. In a 1950 interview, Faulkner remarked, “He [Hemingway] is not a great writer. He is a great writer of short stories.” This rivalry was fueled by their contrasting approaches to narrative and character development, which shaped literary discussions of the time.
The feud between T.S. Eliot and Ezra Pound is also notable. Initially, they were allies in the world of modernist poetry, with Pound championing Eliot’s work. However, tensions arose when Pound criticized Eliot's later works, suggesting they lacked the energy of his earlier pieces. Eliot, in response, distanced himself from Pound’s more radical political views, leading to a rift that affected their collaboration on various literary projects.
The clash between Virginia Woolf and James Joyce centered on their respective experimental styles. Woolf criticized Joyce’s dense prose in works like Ulysses, claiming it could alienate readers. Joyce, on the other hand, felt that Woolf’s stream-of-consciousness technique was derivative. Their rivalry illustrated the broader debates about narrative form and accessibility in modernist literature.
The feud between Mark Twain and Harriet Beecher Stowe is less known but equally intriguing. Twain famously referred to Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin as “the most effective book ever written.” However, he also critiqued its melodrama and sentimentality, arguing it undermined the complexities of slavery. This tension reflected the cultural conflicts surrounding abolitionist literature in the 19th century.
Lastly, the rivalry between Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes after their tumultuous marriage has gained attention. Their relationship, marked by passion and betrayal, fueled Plath’s poetry, particularly in Ariel. Hughes’s posthumous publication of Plath’s work and his portrayal of their life raised questions about the ethics of literary legacy and the role of the male figure in a female writer's narrative. This complex dynamic continues to influence discussions about gender in literature.