The Ordinary, the Extraordinary, and 'Priscilla'

Sometimes, with the benefit of hindsight, we look back at famous and powerful men only to realize that we have done their dutiful wives a disservice. Take F. Scott Fitgerald and Zelda. She was far more interesting and insightful than her husband ever was. Her books and substantial influence on her husband resulted, nonetheless, in her being shoved into the background: the wife of. In 2023, she’d have been recognized for what she was, and her husband would’ve been the supporting act. In fact, it’s become almost the default assumption that behind every famous man is an overlooked woman who, if she were given a proper hearing, would be found to be special. When longtime bachelor George Clooney finally married hotshot human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin after decades in the dating game, the jokes about how she was the one settling poured in. But being a new cliche doesn’t make it any truer than being an old one, and it is important to remember that the wife in a couple is perfectly capable of being the less interesting, the less artistically honest — in one way or another, just the lesser one.