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F. Scott Fitzgerald's "Bemice Bobs Her Hair" and Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever" revolve around both envy and the romantic jealousy of a central character who feels that she will lose the "formative attention" (Parrotf 16) of a partner. Psychological theorists define this term as "attention that sustains part of one's self-concept" (Parrott 16). In Fitzgerald's story, Marjorie feels that Bernice, whom she has personally coached in feminine wiles, is robbing her of the attentions of Warren, her beau. In Wharton's story, Alida long ago plotted to rid herself of her competitor, Grace, whom she felt threatened her engagement to Delphin.
Psychological theorists would find it no accident that these two stories, Wharton's published in 1934 and Fitzgerald's which appeared in Flappers and Philosophers in 1920, deal with the issue of jealousy. Given the "changing context for romantic relationships" (Steams 114) this emotion gained "new prominence," what with the sociological shifts in America in the years from around 1890 to 1920. Courtship practices which involved dating outside the purview of the home environment plus a "new emphasis on love as the basis for marriage relationships" (127) caused increased motivation for jealousy. In fact, "from about 1920 onward... the ability to date, or be dated by a number of individuals became an important badge of popularity..." (Stearns 133).
Although in current parlance we tend to confuse the terms envy and jealousy, there is a distinction between the two. "Envy may be said to occur when a person lacks what another has and either desires it or wishes that the other did not have it. It occurs when the superior qualities, achievements, or possessions of another are perceived as reflecting badly on the self (Parrott 4). In contrast, jealousy "may be said to occur when a person either fears losing or has already lost an important relationship with another person to a rival" (Parrott 4). Envy, then, comes out of a "social comparison" of oneself with others, whereas jealousy arises out of fear of "the loss of a relationship one has" (Parrott 7, 23).
"In envy the social comparison is made by the envious person, whereas in jealousy it is presumed to be made by the partner" (Parrott 23). The envious person "knows what is superior about the...